John Rusnak

Who is John Rusnak?

John Rusnak is a former currency trader at Allfirst bank, then part of AIB Group, in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. On January 17, 2003 he was sentenced to 7½ years in prison for hiding US$691 million in losses at the bank in 2002, after bad bets snowballed in one of the largest ever cases of bank fraud. He was transferred from prison to a halfway house in June 2008, to home confinement in September 2008, and ultimately released from home confinement on January 5, 2009, serving less than 6 years. Since his return to society, Rusnak has become an advocate for second chances for men coming home from incarceration and for those in drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Rusnak is a fervent witness for his faith and God's redemptive power to change.

Rusnak could have faced up to 30 years in prison. The original 7½ year sentence was part of a plea bargain with US prosecutors. He was released early having earned good-behavior credits and completing a drug treatment program. Upon his release, he started paying US$1,000 a month for the five years of his probation.