By By: Contributing Writer
MONROVIA – A mobile money operator in Paynesville is facing criminal charges after police say he withdrew and moved money that United Bank for Africa mistakenly credited to his account.
The Liberia National Police confirmed Tuesday that Leroy Cooper, proprietor of Leroy Cooper Business Branch #3, has been charged with Theft of Property and Theft of Property Lost, Mislaid, or Delivered by Mistake. The Property Crime Unit handled the investigation.
According to the LNP, the incident started on June 1, 2026, when a UBA customer intended to send L$250,000 to Cooper’s MTN MoMo account. Investigators say a bank teller instead transferred US$250,000 due to a clerical error.
Bank officials only noticed the mistake during a routine reconciliation. By then, police allege, Cooper had already begun dispersing the funds. He reportedly moved the cash across several mobile money wallets and cashed out about US$45,000 before UBA could act.
Investigators claim Cooper admitted he realized the amount was far more than the Liberian dollars he was expecting. Instead of notifying the bank, he discussed it with family and associates and started transferring portions of it, authorities said.
UBA alerted MTN Lonestar as soon as the error was discovered. The telecom provider then froze the remaining balance in Cooper’s wallet, preventing further withdrawals.
Police said their probe found no evidence that the teller acted criminally and attributed her mistake to human error. But they concluded Cooper knowingly kept and used money that was not his.
The case has now been sent to court for prosecution. Legal observers note it could become a landmark ruling in Liberia on how the courts handle mistaken electronic and mobile money deposits.
Court proceedings are expected to attract wide public interest given the size of the amount involved and the questions it raises about liability in digital transactions.
