A former bank employee in San Francisco, Sixto Christopher Porras, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of embezzlement and access device fraud. The indictment alleges that Porras, while working as an associate banker at a large national bank’s branch in San Francisco, misappropriated funds from two customers’ accounts.
The court documents reveal that the first incident occurred around August 2023 when a customer visited the branch for a wire transfer. During this transaction, Porras allegedly obtained the customer’s debit card security PIN and kept the card without the customer’s knowledge. He is accused of using this card to embezzle approximately $100,000 from the customer’s account.
A second alleged incident took place in September 2023. A different customer approached the bank regarding a fraudulent charge. It is claimed that Porras acquired this customer’s security PIN and had their debit card reissued to his own residence in San Francisco. He reportedly used this card to embezzle about $340,000 from their accounts.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian alongside Linda Nguyen, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Oakland Field Office.
Following his initial appearance in federal district court, Porras was released on bond and is scheduled to appear again on July 14, 2025, for identification of counsel before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Kang.
Porras faces one count of embezzlement of bank funds under 18 U.S.C. § 656 and one count of access device fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1029(a)(5). While an indictment suggests crimes may have been committed, defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Porras could face up to 30 years in prison and fines totaling $1 million for embezzlement and up to 15 years with fines up to $250,000 for access device fraud.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Rezaei is leading the prosecution with support from Lynette Dixon following an investigation conducted by IRS-CI.
