The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has agreed to settle its case against an ex-Wells Fargo & Co. executive who had been facing a $10 million fine and a ban from working in the banking industry for her role in a scandal that involved bank employees opening millions of potentially fake accounts to meet sales goals.

Claudia Russ Anderson (Courtesy of Bill Anderson)

Claudia Russ Anderson, of Lake Elmo, who served Wells Fargo’s community bank group risk officer, no longer must pay a fine and may be employed by a bank in the future if she wants, under the terms of the settlement finalized in a consent order signed Wednesday.

In 2020, the OCC brought administrative charges against Russ Anderson, initially seeking a $5 million penalty, which the agency later increased to $10 million. The final order, issued by Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu, fined Russ Anderson $10 million and forbid her from future participation in the banking industry.

The OCC’s decision to settle came as oral arguments were approaching in Russ Anderson’s federal court appeal of Hsu’s decision, said Brett D. Kelley, Russ Anderson’s attorney.

Kelley called the outcome a “total vindication” for his client, adding that the agreement “resolves the most significant civil enforcement action brought by the OCC against individual bankers in U.S. history. Reducing a $10 million penalty to a $0 offer speaks for itself.”

A spokesperson for the OCC did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday. A spokeswoman for Wells Fargo declined to comment.

Anderson was one of several Wells Fargo executives accused of engaging in “unsafe or unsound” banking practices, misleading bank examiners and violating federal law in connection with the bank’s sales practices.

Regulators alleged that employees, trying to meet aggressive sales targets, opened bank and credit card accounts, moved money between those accounts and created fake email addresses to sign customers up for online banking — all without customer authorization. Debit cards were issued and activated, as well as PINs created, without customers’ knowledge.

Wells Fargo was fined $185 million by California and federal regulators in connection with the scandal.

Douglas Kelley, another of Russ Anderson’s attorneys, said the settlement means his client will be able to spend time with her 77-year-old husband. Russ Anderson, 66, does not plan to work in banking “ever again,” he said.

“We are glad the OCC decided to throw in the towel,” he said. “We are ecstatic that this ends the nine-year nightmare for Claudia and her family.”

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Minnesota United had an opportunity to cash in by selling Joaquin Pereyra to a European club during the summer. Instead, they have signed the Argentine attacking midfielder to contract extension.

The Loons said Thursday the club and Pereyra have agreed to a new deal through the 2028 season, with a club option for 2029. He joined United last summer on an initial term though 2027 and an option for 2028.

Terms were not disclosed. One of the club’s two Designated Players, Pereyra received $754,800 in guaranteed compensation for the 2025 season, per MLS Players Association.

This one-year extension comes after Turkish club Trabzonspor put in a bid of $8 million for Pereyra in August, but MNUFC turned it down as they moved Tani Oluwaseyi to Spanish club Villarreal for a similar sum. The Loons bought Pereyra’s rights in 2024 for approximately $2 million from Atletico Tucuman in Argentina.

Pereyra had a slow start to his Loons tenure at the end of last season but has been one of the best playmakers in MLS in 2025. He is tied for 12th in the league with 11 total assists. Lionel Messi of Miami and Anders Dreyer tied for the league lead (19).

“I’m very happy to continue my journey with Minnesota United,” Pereyra said in a statement. “From the moment I arrived, I’ve felt the support from my teammates, the staff, and the fans. It means a lot to keep building something special here. Every day I try to contribute in my own way, whether it’s creating chances, helping defensively, or pushing the game forward. My goal is to keep improving to help this team compete for trophies. I’m excited for what’s ahead.”

This season, Pereyra has chipped in six goals while playing in 33 of 34 regular-season games. He only missed one match regular-season match, for yellow-card accumulation, and finished fourth on the team with 2,561 minutes played in 2025.

LOS ANGELES — It appears that Aaron Jones is set to make his return for the Vikings.

After missing the past month and a half with a hamstring injury, Jones was officially activated from injured reserve in the hours leading up to kickoff against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium.

Though he will still have to go through warmups to make sure he’s feeling good, the 30-year-old running back has been trending in the right direction since the Vikings opened up his practice window earlier this week.

Asked about the potential of him playing despite only participating in walkthroughs, head coach Kevin O’Connell noted how Jones is a veteran that doesn’t necessarily need a practice to get himself ready to go.

“He knows what he has to do,” O’Connell said. “He knows what he needs to feel like.”

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Allow me a moment to shoot some fish in a barrel.

Former Timberwolves point guard and current Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested by the FBI on Thursday as part of a federal investigation into illegal gambling that snared more than 30 people for alleged crimes ranging from rigged poker games to trading inside NBA information with sports bettors.

Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier also was arrested, accused of trading inside NBA information with bettors and at least once “manipulating his performance” in a game to benefit sports bettors.

It’s juicy stuff, but does this really surprise anyone? Pro sports leagues, and some individual franchises, can’t hoover money from legal sportsbooks fast enough.

It seems there isn’t an ad break in a Vikings, Timberwolves or Wild game that doesn’t include at least one spot for DraftKings or FanDuel. The Wild and Wolves are televised by FanDuel Network, and the Wild play in Grand Casino Arena. Athletes are told not to get involved in sports betting, but the sponsorship money suggests that comes with a wink.

That might sound unfair, but NFL players aren’t told they can’t eat at Chili’s or buy a Chevy Silverado.

Sports gambling remains illegal in Minnesota, despite several legislative attempts to change that — most recently last spring. Locals can get around that, to an extent, through online prediction markets. But Minnesota is an outlier here, and as was the case with those stubborn Sunday blue laws, sports gambling will eventually win out in Minnesota.

Even the NCAA is reading the Zeitgeist; on Nov. 1, it will begin allowing athletes and athletic department staff members to bet on professional sports. The consortium of college athletics programs still won’t allow athletes or staff to bet on college sports, or share information with bettors. So, you know, no issues here. Don’t be surprised if the last bastion of amateurism (lolz) signs on with a deep-pocketed sportsbook by next summer.

It’s probably better than private equity, which big-time college programs that sponsor football appear to be considering to help fund the $20.5 million they can, and will, pay student-athletes. This is a terrible idea. It will be less than a full academic year before some young analyst from Duke who goes by “Big Brains” tells the boss it’s imperative that Wassamada U sells off its baseball and softball stadiums.

Billups’ arrest wasn’t sports-related; the Trailblazer’s coach is accused of being involved with rigged poker games tied to organized crime. Not a great look for the NBA. Even worse is the idea that Rozier faked an injury to affect the outcome of a game when he was with the Charlotte Hornets.

The concern around sports gambling has always been the potential for fans to assume many games are fixed, and therefore their favorite teams are not worth their time, fealty or money. But fantasy football propped up the NFL through rough times, and the leagues are not unaware of the role sports betting plays in their ratings.

If people begin doubting the integrity of the contests, there will still be plenty to bet on. Fantasy fans will sit through a Cardinals-Panthers game to see if the tight end catches a touchdown pass; imagine if there was real money on the line?

Consider a not-too-distant future when you can wager a prop bet on which players are most likely to miss three layups, fumble at the goal line or leave early with a mysterious injury. Serious bettors don’t have an emotional stake in which team wins; can the NBA, NFL, NHL and NCAA survive if their fan bases join them?

Crawling into bed with legal sports books doesn’t guarantee these leagues will be overrun by gambling scandals. But it does send a message, to fans and players, that betting on them is a large, and growing, part of the reason they exist.

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