New Orleans police are searching for a 77-year-old man accused of befriending a 91-year-old woman, gaining access to her checking accounts, and making off with more than $35,000 and her 2012 Honda Fit. The investigation into Abram J. Banks, described as a Black male born March 22, 1949, began after the elderly victim reported the scheme on July 20, 2026.
According to a statement from the New Orleans Police Department, the 91-year-old woman told investigators that a suspect befriended her before gaining unauthorized access to her checking accounts. Detectives say more than $35,000 was drained from those accounts, and the woman’s 2012 Honda Fit, bearing Louisiana license plate H509909, was also taken. Eighth District detectives identified Banks as the suspect following their investigation into the July report, per the NOPD statement. As with all named suspects in NOPD bulletins, Banks is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Financial Exploitation and Auto Theft Under Louisiana Law
The dollar amount involved pushes potential charges into some of the most serious brackets of Louisiana’s theft code. Under La. R.S. 14:67, theft of property or cash valued at $25,000 or more is a top-tier felony punishable by up to 20 years at hard labor and a fine of as much as $50,000, according to FindLaw.
Because the alleged victim is 91, the case also falls under Louisiana’s elder-specific theft statute. La. R.S. 14:67.21 makes it a distinct crime to intentionally misappropriate the assets of a person 60 or older, carrying up to 10 years in prison along with mandatory full restitution to the victim, per Justia Law. Separately, unauthorized access to a bank account can trigger Louisiana’s bank fraud statute, La. R.S. 14:71.1, which penalizes schemes to defraud a financial institution with up to 10 years in prison, fines up to $100,000, and mandatory restitution, according to the Louisiana State Legislature.
Stolen Honda Adds Another Potential Charge
The alleged theft of the victim’s Honda Fit could bring an additional charge under Louisiana’s motor vehicle theft statute. La. R.S. 14:67.26 penalizes obtaining a vehicle through fraud or deception with up to 20 years at hard labor and fines up to $50,000 for vehicles valued at $25,000 or more, or up to 10 years for vehicles valued between $5,000 and $25,000, FindLaw notes. Taken together, the statutes mean Banks faces potentially cumulative prison exposure and mandatory restitution requirements if charged and convicted, though no charges have been formally filed in the case described by the research record…