Former Bank Worker Charged With Wiring Himself $800,000

The former assistant manager of the Wells Fargo Bank branch in Fountain Valley was arrested by FBI agents Thursday on charges that he wired himself $800,000.

The manager, Kristoff Holsten, also known as Kevin Smith, was taken by surprise by agents at his Newport Avenue home in Costa Mesa on Thursday morning, said special agent Julie McWilliams. He was surprised because it is possible he did not imagine that authorities knew his whereabouts, she said.

McWilliams said Holsten wired the money to the Bahamas in 1998. He resigned from the bank job by leaving his keys and a resignation letter in the night depository and left the United States. He left before the money was discovered missing.

The money was taken from one client’s account, possibly a large company, authorities said.

The FBI needed time to prepare the complaint and on Wednesday filed it, charging Holsten with executing an unauthorized wire transfer in excess of $800,000 to an offshore bank account. “It’s a lot of money . . . which is a noteworthy factor. It’s an instance of the bureau taking white-collar crimes very seriously,” McWilliams said.