Through Well, Abdur-Rahman
January 4, 2026
A New York judge ordered Citibank to give Leileth Faye Graham, an 80-year-old woman, nearly $3.5 million.
Citibank will have to pay a stroke victim millions if she didn’t take the right steps to recover fraudulent charges from her account.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Bernice Siegal ordered Citibank to give Leileth Faye Graham, an 80-year-old New York City woman, nearly $3.5 million in the landmark Dec. 19 decision.
Judge Siegel also found the bank liable for “concealing critical evidence” during the trial. The bank refused to refund the hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen from Graham’s account and hid evidence proving the fraud.
About $135,000 of the stolen amount, which amounts to $772,000, came from 211 withdrawals in Massachusetts. According to The New York PostGraham’s niece, Joan Hope Bowden, allegedly made the withdrawals while her aunt was bedridden and blind.
Another $638,000 was taken from Graham via wire transfers. Although the recordings showed clear signs of fraudulent activity, Citibank allowed the fake transactions to continue. Bowden allegedly used the money to finance vacations to Jamaica, buy real estate in Washington DC for her daughter and give away money to other family members.
Citibank must now return the money, plus several million more, “for failing to investigate or return the money removed from the bank.” [her] account without permission or authority.”
“Had Citibank properly followed its own security procedures on the Citibank accounts following the withdrawals, the account would have been flagged, which would have prevented subsequent transfers,” the court said in its ruling.
However, Citibank has denied any wrongdoing in the matter and has appealed the court’s ruling. Despite this, Graham’s family hopes to receive at least some of the court-ordered damages, claiming it will go entirely toward their eldest’s care.
“I hope something comes of it so she can get some enjoyment out of it before she passes,” said Graham’s other niece, Ingrid Gayle, who is helping to care for her.
Graham was born in Jamaica in the 1970s and emigrated to the US to complete her education. She received her business degree from Manhattan College in 1984, followed by her bachelor’s degree from Pace College eight years later. During her professional career, she once worked as a legal secretary for a firm whose clients were Citibank.
However, in 2020, her health changed when she suffered a stroke. After determining that her living and health conditions were dire, Gayle began overseeing her care.
Now Gayle is hoping for justice on behalf of her elderly aunt. However, the case could also be monumental because it sets a precedent that banks, not the customer, are liable for unauthorized transactions. In the meantime, the family hopes Citibank will refund this money to Graham, who is currently using Medicaid to cover her costs.
Gayle added, “Because it would be really sad if we fought for her to get her money back and she couldn’t even get a thousand of it.”
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