A Chinatown bank teller accused of stealing $243,000 from his Chase branch and going on an Atlantic City casino binge was arraigned in court yesterday. Sephoen Tsang, 22, pleaded not guilty to five counts of grand larceny and falsifying business records. Tsang, who was arrested playing the baccarat tables in Atlantic City, allegedly left a note for his former supervisor apologizing for the theft: “Sorry, Betty. Take care.”
According to prosecutors, Tsang pretended to move the money electronically from his teller drawer to the bank vault and then to ATM machines at the Canal St. branch on Nov. 29—but instead he just took the money for himself. Soon after the bank noticed the discrepancies, he found at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa with $26,000 in cash on him and in his apartment.
According to his lawyer, Tsang had worked at the bank for two years while pursuing an associate's degree in accounting at a community college. "He just quit the job because he wanted to focus on his school," said lawyer Jane Fisher-Byrialsen. After he was arrested, authorities discovered more banking irregularities, and officials are expected to hit him with more charges.
