Former Citibank employee pleads not guilty to identity theft in South Dakota

A former Citibank employee accused of using customer cards to pay personal bills has pleaded not guilty to bank fraud, identity theft and embezzlement charges.

Terri Jo Huber, 43, appeared in U.S. District Court of South Dakota on Wednesday afternoon, pleaded not guilty to nine criminal counts and was released on her own recognizance.

An indictment against Huber, filed last week, says she worked as an escalation specialist for Citibank. The position gave her access to customer credit card information, which allowed her to alter customer address and notification information after using their cards.

Huber was charged with bank fraud, embezzlement, access device fraud and six counts of aggravated identity theft. The first two charges carry maximum sentences of 30 years, while device fraud is punishable by up to 15 years and each count of identity theft carries a mandatory 2-year sentence.

The indictment says Huber stole the identities of at least four people between November of 2011 and November 2012.

Citibank released a statement on Huber’s employment on Wednesday.

"Her employment was terminated in November 2012. She handled customer service inquiries. Upon discovering the matter, we immediately notified the authorities and terminated her employment. We also notified and took steps to protect the customers involved. Consistent with legal requirements, our customers are not liable for any unauthorized use of their accounts.”