Former H&R Block worker who scammed person out of $426K gets prison sentence

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Portland man is behind bars for the next three years after he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from a person with an intellectual disability for multiple years before his death.

Back in October of 2024, 36-year old Clinton Wells pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft in a federal court. He was sentenced to 36 years in federal prison and three years supervised released, in addition to restitution payment to the victim's family for $426,481.14.

Wells was found guilty of stealing more than $426,000 from Gary Lowry over three years. If it weren't for Lowery's cousin, Doug Myers, investigating, Wells may have gotten away with it.

"He was very good natured," Myers said, describing his cousin as a happy man who worked as a dishwasher at Good Samaritan Hospital to pay the bills. Lowry also enjoyed the occasional cheeseburger.

"All the people that he worked with at Good Sam were-were very fond of him," Myers said.

When Lowry had a stroke in 2022, he had trouble getting around. As a result, Myers stepped up to help and eventually found something unusual in his bank statements.

"There's no other activity except for his checks being deposited then suddenly there were four pages of expenses. I thought, what's going on here?" Myers said.

Myers said he eventually found that thousands and thousands of dollars were drained from normally untouched savings and checking accounts.

"He walked to work. He didn't have a family, didn't have a car, and when that account was overdrawn by all these false withdrawals," Myers said. "Pretty soon, both accounts were completely drained."

Myers took his findings to the Internal Revenue Service and the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. Their investigation shows Wells worked for H&R Block when he met Lowry.

Wells used Lowry's personal identification and bank account information to steal his entire life savings between March of 2019 and April of 2022. He used that money to buy extravagant trips, pay personal expenses and do a lot of online shopping, according to court documents.

"It shouldn't have ever happened," Myers said. "I'd like the message to be that you're not being as secretive as you think you are. It's possible the same internet that helps you take advantage of people was a powerful tool in finding out who you are pursuing."

The $426,481.14 in restitution that Wells has been ordered to pay Lowry's family will go to his only living brother and then his nephew after that.