Former Wells Fargo Executive Blamed in Fake-Accounts Scandal to Plead Guilty

The former head of Wells Fargo WFC -3.29%decrease; red down pointing triangle<svg width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 16 16"><defs><path id="arrow-down-filled-small_svg__a" d="M8.588 3.985l4.927 7.14-.506.86H3.02l-.534-.86 4.959-7.14z"></path></defs><use fill="currentColor" fill-rule="evenodd" transform="rotate(-180 8.008 7.992)" xlink:href="#arrow-down-filled-small_svg__a"></use></svg> & Co.’s community bank has agreed to plead guilty to obstructing regulators who tried to examine allegations of sales misconduct at the business she ran, prosecutors said Wednesday. 

Carrie Tolstedt’s deal with Los Angeles federal prosecutors would resolve a criminal investigation into her role in the bank’s long-running, fake-accounts scandal, which severely damaged Wells Fargo’s reputation and contributed to an asset cap imposed by the Federal Reserve that limited its size.