Puerta v. United States

KLEINFELD, Circuit Judge:

This case turns on an exception, 12 U.S.C. § 3403(c), to the Right To Financial Privacy Act, 12 U.S.C. § 3401, et seq. The issue is whether a bank employee can tell an inquiring federal agent anything about a custom*1340er’s account, and if so, how much, without subjecting the bank to liability.

FACTS

Dr. Antonio Puerta, the appellant, opened a bank account at Security Pacific National Bank under an alias, Anthony Simon. He used a Spanish passport with that name as his identification. He deposited a little under $100,000 when he opened the account, but withdrew every penny…