Former Nebraska banker gets 3 1/2 years in prison

A former Sidney banker has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for embezzling over $1.3 million.  Matt Monheiser was handed the 42 month sentence in federal court Monday and he will also serve five years of supervised release after he is out of prison.
     The 38-year-old Monheiser was convicted of taking almost $1,365,000 from what was the former First National Bank in Sidney where he was vice president and branch manager.  The thefts occurred between March 2003 and August 2012 where he used funds from customers’ loan accounts to buy cashier’s checks in customers’ names.  He also created loans in customers’ names and stole $82,000 cash directly from the bank vault.
     After pleading guilty last spring, Monheiser told KSID he was addicted to gambling, which fed his embezzlement.  He was treated for 28 days at a wellness center in Virginia shortly after the thefts were discovered.
     According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office $500,000 restitution has already been paid.  Monheiser told us in April that a cash-collateral account has been set up to repay the rest but would not say who funded the accoun