Ariel woman sentenced for embezzling from Ridgefield, Washington bank

An Ariel woman was sentenced to seven months in prison for embezzlement Monday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.




Authorities said Michele L. Chartier, 26, pleaded guilty in July to embezzling $60,000 from a vault and cash dispensing machines at the Ridgefield branch of the IQ Credit Union, where she worked as an assistant manager.



Chartier, who was first hired at the credit union in 2004, embezzled the money between March and September of last year, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.



Authorities said Chartier tricked a customer into signing loan papers, then used the proceeds of the fraudulent loan to cover her crime.



Chartier will also serve two months home detention following her prison term, authorities said.