ANCHORAGE, Alaska – When more than $230,000 was mistakenly deposited in a fisherman's Credit Union 1 account, he went on a spending spree and cleaned out all of his new-found funds.
Alaska State Troopers said they caught up with Timothy Boles, 37, in a local hotel with his new car, a 2010 Chevy Camaro, a wad of cash, a new laptop and new wardrobe. The fisherman told police the payout had been “20 years coming” and that he was on his way to Florida.
The mistaken deposit occurred March 11 when Boles’ employer, Trident Seafoods, initiated a wire transfer to the owner of a fishing vessel, the Cascade Mariner, according to court records. Trident employees put the wrong account number on the transfer request, and the money instead was deposited in an account of Boles’, who was a crew member on the vessel.
By the time the company learned of the error and tried to recall the money, the funds were gone.
Boles had withdrawn $115,000 in cash, bought a $90,950 cashier's check, $5,600 in traveler's checks and paid off $17,630 on a loan for his 2008 Chevrolet Silverado, which he then sold to a dealership.
The fisherman was arrested after police were called to the hotel in response to a report of a drunken woman – Boles' girlfriend – yelling and throwing her belongings in a room. Hotel staff wanted her kicked out. Boles had left her there while he went out bar-hopping, and he returned just before police arrived.
Police said once he realized the funds in his account were not his Boles was required to notify the credit union of the mistake.
Boles was arrested on a single count of first-degree theft for taking lost or misplaced property and booked into the local jail. The Camaro with all the options was impounded.
