Search This Blog

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Poplar Bluff bank employee pleads guilty to embezzling in Missouri

A former First Midwest Bank employee in Poplar Bluff, Mo., recently pleaded guilty in federal court in Cape Girardeau to embezzling nearly $400,000 from the institution.

Leslie Ann Eastwood Kirby, who had been the bank's teller supervisor, pleaded guilty as charged Thursday to the felony of theft or embezzlement/misapplication by a bank officer before U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr., according to a clerk for the U.S. District Court.

Kirby, the clerk said, is to appear at 10 a.m. Feb. 18 for sentencing before U.S. District Judge Carol E. Jackson.

The Poplar Bluff woman was accused of taking the funds between Jan. 1, 2007, and March 28.

The indictment alleged Kirby "willfully misapplied or embezzled the sum of approximately $397,000 of the funds, in that (she) wrongfully and without authorization took money that came into her possession as the supervisor of the bank tellers and used it for her own benefit."

According to earlier reports, an internal auditor conducts regular reviews and audits as part of the bank's normal operations, and the discrepancy reportedly was found during one of those reviews. No customer accounts were involved.

Bank officials reported the missing funds to the Poplar Bluff Police Department, and officers conducted a preliminary investigation to ascertain whether an internal theft had occurred.

The FBI at Cape Girardeau subsequently was contacted, and a joint investigation began.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Sioux Falls Woman Sentenced for Bank Embezzlement in South Dakota

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota woman convicted of embezzlement of bank funds was sentenced on November 4, 2013, by U.S. District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol.
Andrea Schwartz, age 23, was sentenced to time served and two years of supervised release, to include 50 hours of community service. She was also fined $500 and ordered to make restitution of $7,720.
Schwartz was indicted for the above charge by a federal grand jury on May 8, 2013. She pled guilty to the offense on August 12, 2013.
The conviction stems from incidents that took place when Schwartz was employed as a teller at Home Federal Bank in Sioux Falls. Schwartz made several withdrawals from customers’ accounts under the pretense that the customers called her on the telephone, authorized withdrawals from their accounts, and told her another person would come to the bank to pick up the cash.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hendrickson prosecuted the case.

TRF bank officer pleads guilty to embezzling in Minnesota

A former Thief River Falls bank officer accused of embezzling $396,000 has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, court records show.

Vicki Lynn Torgerson, 48, faces up to 30 years in prison on the charge of embezzlement by a bank officer. Sentencing has not been scheduled.

Prosecutors say that, between July 2005 and March 2013, she took money from ATMs and the backup cassettes to the machines. Torgerson was a consumer loan officer for Northern State Bank at the time.

Jeanne Cooney, a spokeswoman at the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office, said earlier that sentencing is expected within 90 days of a plea.

The case was initially investigated by the Pennington County attorney but was turned over to federal prosecutors in May.

- See more at: http://www.wdaz.com/event/article/id/20837/group/homepage/#sthash.XWBzLQLf.dpuf

Searsport woman admits embezzling $26,000 from bank customers in Maine

A Waldo County woman admitted Thursday in U.S. District Court that she embezzled more than $26,000 from 48 accounts at the Bangor Savings Bank in Searsport while working as a teller.

Brittany Mace, 23, of Searsport used the money to buy oxycodone illegally, according to the prosecution version of events to which she pleaded guilty.

Mace waived indictment and pleaded guilty to one count of bank embezzlement, according to information posted on the federal court’s electronic case filing system. She stole the money between Aug. 23, 2010, and Oct. 25, 2011.

A sentencing date has not been sent.

The embezzlement came to light when a Bangor Savings Bank customer noticed a discrepancy in her account and reported it to the bank, the prosecution version of events said. The amounts taken were as low as $20 but several were more than $1,000. Mace admitted she took more than $10,000 from one customer.

She used a variety of methods to steal the money that included: deleting customer transactions and reprocessing them with cash back; using duplicate withdrawal slips; altering the amounts on the ticket; and forging customers’ signatures, the court documents said. Some of the customers Mace took money from were described as disabled in the court document.

The bank has reimbursed customers for their losses, according to the prosecution version.

Mace faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. She also could be ordered to pay restitution to Bangor Savings Bank.

She remains free on $5,000 unsecured bail pending sentencing.


Pee Dee bank employee sentenced for embezzlement in South Carolina

United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that BETTY LEE JOHNSON was sentenced today in federal court in Florence, South Carolina, for bank embezzlement, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 656. Chief United States District Judge Terry L. Wooten of Florence sentenced BETTY LEE JOHNSON to 33 month imprisonment, $206,500.00 in restitution; 5 years supervised release and $100.00 special assessment.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that Johnson worked for First Citizens Bank as a teller in the Bank's Clio branch.  A surprise audit conducted on December 15, 2011, revealed that the defendant's bank drawer and the vault were missing $206,500.00.  The investigation revealed that Johnson had been embezzling money from June 2006 to May 2011.
The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney William E. Day, II of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.

Clio bank employee sentenced for embezzlement in South Carolina

A teller at a Clio bank has been sentenced to federal prison for embezzling more than $200,000 from the institution.

U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles says Betty Lee Johnson was sentenced Friday in Florence to 33 months in prison. She was also ordered to pay $206,500 in restitution.

Johnson worked as a teller at a First Citizens Bank branch in Clio. Nettles says a surprise audit in December 2011 revealed that more than $200,000 was missing from Johnson's bank drawer and the vault.

Former Bank President Creates Fictitious Loans to Conceal Embezzlement in Illinois

Bryson John Russell, 66, Lincoln, Illinois, former president of a Logan County bank, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard Mills to serve 30 months in federal prison for embezzling more than $500,000 from Hartsburg State Bank and hiding it by creating loans in the names of various customers and relatives.

Russell was ordered to pay restitution to the bank in the amount of $562,293, and was ordered to self-report on a date to be determined by the federal Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his prison sentence. Russell was also ordered to remain on supervised for three years following his release from prison.

On Feb. 27, 2013, Russell waived indictment and entered a plea of guilty to a single count of embezzlement as charged in an information filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois. Russell admitted that in 1992, he began taking cash from the bank to pay for personal items and obligations. Russell became bank president in 1989 and was a career employee, having begun work in 1966 at Hartsburg State Bank, Hartsburg, Ill.

At some point, to conceal his activity, Russell began creating bank loans in the names of various bank customers, including relatives. When the various loans were due, Russell created different, larger loans in relatives’ names and other bank customers’ names to pay off the loans, as well as to embezzle additional money. In addition, Russell admitted cashing a customer’s $15,000 certificate of deposit and applying the proceeds to a loan he had created in the customer’s name.

The charges were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in coordination with the Hartsburg State Bank. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Hansen prosecuted the case.

Former bank supervisor arrested on suspicion of embezzlement in California

A former Wells Fargo Bank supervisor in Visalia was arrested Saturday after police investigators completed a year-long investigation regarding possible embezzlement at the bank.

Kathleen Welte, 54, who worked at the West Main Street Wells Fargo, was arrested on suspicion of embezzling close to $400,000 over a period of at least two years, Sgt. Ozzie Dominguez said.

Wells Fargo officials requested an investigation in October 2012. Welte’s employment at the bank ended at roughly the same time the investigation began, Dominguez said.

After about a year of investigating, detectives filed the case with the District Attorney’s Office last week, and a warrant was issued for her arrest.

Welte was arrested Saturday and booked at the Bob Wiley Detention Center, but has since posted $50,000 in bail.

Investigation into embezzlement at WMass bank

 The president of a Lenox bank says two longtime employees have been fired and local and federal police are cooperating on an investigation into the suspected embezzlement of bank assets.

Lenox National Bank President Paul Merlino calls the allegations a "shocking betrayal."

He tells The Berkshire Eagle that because no charges have been filed, he cannot disclose the fired employees' names, but did say they were tellers. He also could not disclose the amount allegedly embezzled.

The FBI confirmed Monday that it is conducting a joint investigation with the Lenox Police Department into the alleged embezzlement.

Merlino said no customer accounts are affected and all losses are covered by insurance.

The independent bank founded in 1889 has $65 million in assets and just one branch.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Vienna Police Investigating Alleged $90,000 Embezzlement Case in Virginia

Vienna Police are investigating the possible embezzlement of $90,000 worth of property from a credit union located in Vienna, according to a news release Friday from police.

The news release states that police are looking into a report of an employee possibly embezzling $90,000 from the Navy Federal Credit Union, located at 820 Follin Lane, SE in Vienna.

Police say that the alleged embezzlement occurred between Dec. 1, 2012 to November.

An employee reported that another employee had been suspected of taking more than $90,000.00 worth of Navy Federal Credit Union property and selling it to another company. 

The investigation is ongoing. 

Clio bank employee sentenced for embezzlement in South Carolina

A Clio woman was sentenced in federal court Friday in Florence.
United States Attorney Bill Nettles said Betty Lee Johnson was sentenced Friday in federal court in Florence for bank embezzlement, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 656.
 
Chief United States District Judge Terry L. Wooten of Florence sentenced Johnson to 33-month imprisonment, $206,500 in restitution; five years supervised release and $100 special assessment.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that Johnson worked for First Citizens Bank as a teller in the Bank’s Clio branch. A surprise audit conducted on December 15, 2011, revealed that the defendant’s bank drawer and the vault were missing $206,500.
The investigation revealed that Johnson had been embezzling money from June 2006 to May 2011.
The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney William E. Day II of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.

Second bank employee pleads guilty to embezzling in Kansas

A second former bank employee has pleaded guilty to embezzling money from a Ulysses bank, less than a week after another former employee of the bank pleaded guilty in the same case, according to U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom.
Ashley Cravens, 29, Ulysses, pleaded guilty Friday to one count of theft from a bank and admitted in her plea that she and other former bank employees embezzled from the bank and staged a robbery.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, from 2008 to July 24, 2010, while Cravens worked at Western State Bank in Ulysses, she and two co-defendants embezzled approximately $84,200 from the bank. Co-defendant Amber Gutierrez, 32, Ulysses, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of theft from the bank. Hattie Wiginton, 33, Ulysses, is also a co-defendant in the case.
With her plea, Cravens also admitted that on July 24, 2010, she aided and abetted a staged bank robbery, and subsequent to the staged bank robbery, she took part in the embezzlement of another $24,450 from the bank.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Gutierrez and Linda Wise, 60, Ulysses, are co-defendants in the subsequent embezzlement case.
Wiginton is accused of making false statements to the FBI, including false claims that she did not know who robbed the bank, that there were two robbers and that one of the robbers was a male with an Hispanic accent.
All four defendants are accused of creating falsified cash deposit slips and depositing funds into their own accounts.
Cravens is set for sentencing Feb. 7, and Gutierrez is set for sentencing Feb. 4.
Wiginton was charged with two counts of embezzlement by a bank employee, one count of bank robbery and one count of making a false statement to the FBI. She is set for jury trial Dec. 17.
Wise was charged with one count of embezzlement by a bank employee and is set for jury trial Dec. 17.

Mason City woman imprisoned for embezzlement

A 54-year-old Mason City woman has been given more than a year in prison for embezzling nearly $70,000 from the bank where she worked as a teller.

Federal prosecutors said Thursday that Margaret "Peggy" Sheese was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids to 14 months. She was ordered to serve five years of supervised release after she is released from custody and make nearly $72,000 in restitution to the bank and its fraud insurer. She'd pleaded guilty on Aug. 16 to one count of embezzlement.

In the plea agreement, Sheese admitted to making 29 secret withdrawals from accounts belonging to one customer of Northwood State Bank in Mason City between about October 2011 and January. Sheese also admitted stealing $2,000 in cash from the bank in January.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Cameron Park, California Man Admits Embezzling $660,000 from a Federally Insured Bank

Ethan George Banaszak, 35, of Cameron Park pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of bank embezzlement, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.According to court documents, Banaszak embezzled thousands of dollars from his employer, a federally insured bank. According to court records, Banaszak made more than $660,000 in unauthorized withdrawals from bank customers’ accounts and took $16,000 cash from the bank’s vault.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Lee S. Bickley is prosecuting the case.
Banaszak is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Garland E. Burrell on January 24, 2014. Banaszak faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable

Monday, November 11, 2013

Bridgeport, Nevada teller faces 30 years in embezzlement

A Bridgeport woman faces up to 30 years in federal prison after she admitted to embezzling $322,000 from Eastern Sierra Community Bank.
Roxanna Foley, 52, entered a plea to one count of embezzlement by a bank employee in federal court on Oct. 9, according to U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner.
Bank officials began noticing discrepancies at the Bridgeport branch of the bank.
According to court documents, they made an unannounced visit to the branch to investigate a suspicious $90,000 transaction.
After reviewing the bank’s records, officials identified the misplaced funds, and $6,000 missing from Foley’s teller drawer.
Foley admitted to taking the $6,000 from her drawer as well as another $312,000 from the bank. A later review revealed that there was $322,000 missing, and several electronic transactions Foley made to conceal the theft.
Foley had circumvented bank procedure by taking over all counting and auditing procedures.
She was arrested in April 2012, after an investigation by the Mono County Sheriff’s Department, the Mono County District Attorney’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon is prosecuting the case.
She is scheduled to be sentenced by U. S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on Jan. 29, 2014. In addition to the prison sentence, she also faces a $1 million fine and a five-year term of supervised release.
The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal sentencing guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Kansas woman charged with embezzling from bank

A former assistant branch manager has been charged with embezzling $346,000 from the Wichita bank where she worked.
The U.S. attorney's office says 43-year-old Lisa Marie Evans, of Wichita, was indicted Wednesday on one count of embezzlement by a bank employee. The indictment alleges she stole the money between 2011 and 2013 while employed at Southwest National Bank.
Court records do not list a lawyer for Evans, and the U.S. attorney's office said it did not know if she had hired one. No working phone listing for her could be found.
Evans has been summoned for a first court appearance on Nov. 25.
The charge carries maximum penalties of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The government is also seeking a forfeiture judgment



Sunday, November 10, 2013

Ex-bank teller pleads guilty to embezzling in Guam

A former Bank of Guam teller on Friday pleaded guilty in federal court to embezzlement by a bank employee, acknowledging she took $7,500 from customer accounts in June and July of this year.

According to the plea agreement, Christine Janelle Lizama, who was hired by the bank in January to work at its Santa Cruz branch, made nine different withdrawals from customer accounts, totaling $7,500.

Documents state she targeted one customer's account -- initials "M.V.Z." -- four different times, withdrawing $1,000 each time.

She acknowledged using her teller station to gain access to account holder information, including account applications and signature cards.

She targeted clients with large dollar balances, documents state, filling out withdrawal slips and forging their signatures.

According to the plea agreement, the maximum penalty for the crime is 30 years in prison, and federal prosecutors have not made any guarantees about what her sentence will be, although they will recommend a low sentence.

She also is required to repay the embezzled money, plus any other restitution required by the federal government.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Huntington, Ohio says former manager stole $2.7 million

Huntington National Bank accuses a former manager of stealing $2.7 million by diverting bank funds to his Chillicothe property-management company.

Joseph P. Molnar, 49, stole the funds between late 2008 and mid-2012 while helping to manage a Huntington subsidiary, the Columbus-based bank claimed in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus.

The lawsuit accuses Molnar and unidentified parties of engaging in a racketeering scheme to divert money owed to Huntington to J. Property Management, a company owned by Molnar.

Molnar owns property in downtown Chillicothe and has been active in efforts to redevelop the community, including the landmark Carlisle Building damaged by a fire set by an arsonist in 2003.

U.S. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley is scheduled to conduct a Nov. 14 hearing on Huntington’s request for a preliminary injunction to prevent Molnar and others from transferring or spending any Huntington money.

The lawsuit, which seeks the return of $2.7 million and damages, claims that Molnar admitted on Oct. 31 to diverting money owed to Huntington into the bank account of his company. The bank filed the lawsuit the same day.

Molnar did not respond today to a message seeking comment. He has not filed a response to the lawsuit or identified a lawyer to represent him.

The lawsuit alleges the diversions occurred while Molnar helped manage the investments of Huntington Community Development Corp., a subsidiary that invests in low-income housing and other projects that yield tax credits for the bank.

Huntington accuses Molnar of diverting “development advisory fees” paid by developers to cover the costs of managing the subsidiary’s investments.

The lawsuit says that Huntington did not discover the “ongoing fraud” until September. No customers lost money as a result of the alleged scheme, said Huntington spokeswoman Maureen Brown.

No criminal charges have been filed against Molnar. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office said it could not comment. "We referred the issue to the appropriate law-enforcement officials and expect prosecution to the fullest extent of the law," Brown said.

BRIDGEPORT, CALIFORNIA BANK MANAGER PLEADS TO EMBEZZLEMENT

On October 9, 2013, Roxanna Foley, 52, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement by a bank employee, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, Foley worked at Eastern Sierra Community Bank (ECSB). Starting in November 2011, bank officials noticed discrepancies with the Bridgeport branch of ESCB. On March 19, 2012, managers from the bank made an unannounced visit to that branch to investigate a suspicious $90,000 transaction. After a review of the bank’s records, officials identified $90,000 in misplaced funds, as well as $6,000 missing from Foley’s teller drawer.

During the surprise inspection, Foley admitted to taking $6,000 from her cash drawer, as well as an additional $312,000 from the bank. A later review of the Bishop ECSB’s accounts uncovered $322,000 in missing funds, as well as multiple electronic “covering transactions” – that is, transactions moving money between accounts – made by Foley. Officials also learned that Foley had also been circumventing normal banking procedures at ECSB, including single-handedly taking over all counting and auditing of ECSB accounts when dual-counting procedures were required.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Mono County Sheriff’s Department, the Mono County District Attorney’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon is prosecuting the case.

Foley is scheduled to be sentenced by Unites States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on January 29, 2104, at 9:00 a.m. She faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine, and a five-year term of supervised release. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Cameron Park, California man pleads guilty to bank embezzlement

A Cameron Park man today pleaded guilty in federal court in Sacramento to one count of bank embezzlement.
Ethan George Banaszak, 35, embezzled thousands of dollars from his employer, a federally insured bank, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.
Court documents show that Banaszak made more than $660,000 in unauthorized withdrawals from bank customers' accounts and took $16,000 in cash from the bank's vault.
He is to be sentenced Jan. 23 by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell.
The case resulted from an FBI investigation.
When he’s sentenced in January, he faces a possible maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/crime/archives/2013/11/cameron-park-man-pleads-guilty-to-bank-embezzlement.html#storylink=cpy

Monday, November 4, 2013

Kiel, Wisconsin woman charged with bank embezzlement

A 27-year-old Kiel woman was charged Thursday with stealing more than $5,500 while working as a bank teller at Community Bank & Trust in the Town of Sheboygan.

Megan A. Murray, of 620 12th St., Lot 2A, is charged with one felony count of theft from a financial institution. She faces up to three years in prison if convicted.

According to a criminal complaint, prior to the alleged theft, Murray had applied for a $5,000 loan while working at the bank, though it had not yet been granted.

Last week, the bank performed a routine audit at the branch and found Murray’s teller drawer short $500, with the same amount found in a bottom drawer beneath a coin tray.

Further audit work revealed an additional $5,540 allegedly missing from Murray’s teller drawer for the month of October.

Murray denied stealing the money when questioned by a Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office deputy.

City Councilor Turns Self in on Larceny Charge in Connecticutt

A West Haven city councilor suspected of stealing more than $170,000 when he worked in a bank has turned himself in to New Canaan police on larceny charges.

Stephen DeCrescenzo was an employee of the New Canaan branch of Citizens bank and is accused of embezzling $172,000 from the accounts of two customers and using another account to filter the money, police said.

DeCrescenzo was charged with two counts of first-degree larceny. He appeared in court on Friday and was released on a written promise to appear.

The two victims are New Canaan residents, according to police.

DeCrescenzo turned himself in to New Canaan police on Friday morning and was unable to post $300,000 bond. He will be arraigned in Norwalk Superior Court this morning.

Friends told NBC Connecticut that DeCrescenzo no longer works at the bank.

He is still a West Haven City Councilor and is running for re-election next Tuesday.

His attorney said he advised his client not to drop out of the race.

Tom McCarthy serves on the council with DeCrescenzo and said he is shocked by the allegations.

“My initial reaction was shock. I've known Steve, worked with him very closely, great admirer of his,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy said there also has been concern for DeCrescenzo, since he had not come forward yet to face the charges.

“The longer this goes on, the concern builds. We are all concerned for him, and obviously his family,” said McCarthy.

No one answered the door at DeCrescenzo's West Haven home on Thursday.

He is due back in court on November 15.

Former Bartlesville, Oklahoma Bank Employee Faces Federal Embezzlement Charges

A former Bartlesville bank employee, charged with embezzling $147,000 from the customers of Osage Federal Bank, was arraigned this week in Tulsa federal court.
Patricia Swearingin, 66, was initially charged in Washington County in January 2011 after the son of a victim contacted the bank about money missing from a certificate of deposit his mother had.
Bartlesville's Examiner Enterprise reports those charges were dismissed in April 2012 according federal prosecutors because of a subpoena records from an Indian casino.
The U.S. Attorney's Office filed charges against Swearingin in October.
An affidavit filed in Washington County in 2011 stated bank officials told investigators Swearingin had embezzled somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000 from at least four customers at Osage Bank in 2010.

In the affidavit, Swearingin told police that all the money was won at a casino.

Pittsburgh man accused of defrauding banks, individuals of millions

FROM TRIBLIVE.COM -

Joseph Graziano Jr. flaunted his wealth.

He flashed cash and frequented VIP sections in casinos, friends said. He rented a swanky Squirrel Hill condo for a year, paying cash upfront, a former landlord said. He bragged on a blog that he paid cash for his first Lamborghini and a Bentley.

“I loved it. It was empowering,” Graziano, 28, of Downtown wrote at blackcardstatus.com. “... I walked out with the Lamborghini, and the title. I owned it. No leinholder (sic), it was a rush!”

It was a lie, according to investigators.

In an indictment, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Graziano embezzled nearly $2.5 million from Bank of New York Mellon Corp. while working there; took out bank loans and offered expensive cars he no longer owned as collateral; and ripped off eBay customers by accepting thousands of dollars for electronics and sending buyers empty boxes.

Graziano pleaded not guilty on Oct. 22 to 14 counts of bank fraud, bank embezzlement and mail fraud. The crimes carry a potential prison sentence of 380 years and an $11 million fine.

Graziano could not be reached. A man who answered his cellphone hung up.

Free on an unsecured $25,000 bond, he remains in Western Pennsylvania, said his attorney, Martin Dietz, who would not comment. Graziano's family declined to comment.

But the indictment, former friends and associates, and what remains of Graziano's social media footprint document the derailment of an extravagant life.

“I've experienced more at my age than most people will in their entire lifetime,” Graziano blogged in July.

REMAKING HIS IMAGE

Graziano, the son of an insurance broker, lived in the small town of Hawley, near Scranton, before enrolling at the University of Pittsburgh. He graduated in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in economics, Pitt spokesman Adam Reger said.

He apparently was an unremarkable student: Reger said department officials “didn't come up with anyone who remembers this student.”

Soon after graduating, however, he landed the BNY Mellon job and began remaking his image.

He posted videos of himself driving his Lamborghini, a Gallardo Superleggera. With his personalized license plate reading BNKRUPT, he drove the car to events organized by Pittsburgh Cars and Coffee, a group of rare- and expensive-car enthusiasts. At a recent gathering in Cranberry, members declined to comment.

He showed off his second Lamborghini — a 2010 Murcielago valued at $495,000, according to investigators — at black-tie events where people recalled his charm and confidence, posing for photos. Graziano appeared in at least four photos in 2011 and 2012 in the Tribune-Review's Fanfare section, which documents society events.

Though he worked as a corporate trust administrator at BNY Mellon, on his blog he styled himself a successful young entrepreneur.

“Entrepreneurship is in my DNA,” he wrote. “I live for innovation and the pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources.”

In reality, authorities said, he was defrauding banks and people of millions.

In 2008, Dollar Bank extended him a loan to buy his Downtown condominium, federal agents said. To do so, Graziano falsified bank statements to show he had $115,320.44 in Philadelphia Federal Credit Union, investigators said. His actual balance was less than $9.

Public records show he purchased the condo at 151 Fort Pitt Blvd. for $211,000.

Graziano began embezzling from BNY Mellon in 2009, authorities said. Over three years, he orchestrated 27 fraudulent wire transfers to siphon $2,441,294.35 from the bank's accounts into his own, according to the indictment.

BNY Mellon officials declined to comment.

LIFESTYLE ‘ESCALATED'

Flush with cash, Graziano lived the life of a high roller, friends said. He bragged about his Rolex watches and expensive cars. Videos of high-speed drives in his Lamborghini remain online.

He dated a series of attractive girlfriends and boasted of mob connections, friends said.

“The cars, the whole lifestyle — it just escalated. Nobody wants to be associated with him anymore,” said one former friend, who did not want to be named because she fears for her safety.

He obtained fraudulent loans, authorities said, conning $226,649.81 from First Niagara Bank and $130,000 from First Commonwealth Bank. In many cases, he used cars he had sold as collateral.

When he sought a $250,000 loan from AmeriServ Financial Bank last year, a loan officer asked to inspect his Lamborghini, according to the indictment. Graziano, who traded the car for a Bentley in 2011, said the vehicle was in storage in New York, investigators said.

Graziano claimed in loan documents to earn $21,000 a month by running a hedge fund business called Profinity. Authorities contend Profinity was a front and that he reported income of just $7,104 on tax returns.

The personal loans paid gambling debts, said investigators and friends. A Rivers Casino employee described Graziano as a “good customer,” meaning he spent a lot of money.

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board officials said they don't comment on earnings and losses for individual players.

David Airey, a graphic designer in Northern Ireland, said Graziano hired him to produce a logo for Profinity; a testimony from Graziano praising that work remains on Airey's webpage. Airey said he was surprised to hear of Graziano's indictment.

“He paid me on time and was a good client to deal with,” Airey told the Trib in an email.

‘SECRETS, SHORTCUTS'

On his blog, Graziano wrote about when to use cash or credit on large purchases and how to pick up women at nightclubs. Among his tips: Never show your socks.

“You heard me, smelly,” he wrote. “Buy a pair of low profile socks and throw them on under your loafers or dress shoes. It will show just the right amount of skin and draw attention to your beautiful Italian leather shoes.”

American Express Co. sued Graziano in September, claiming the blog name — blackcardstatus — is a trademark infringement.

Black Card is slang for the company's Centurion Card, which American Express described as “the most prestigious and difficult-to-obtain American Express card (that is) available only to a tiny percentage of American Express cardholders (and) has become a symbol of unique status, extreme luxury, and unparalleled financial success.”

Graziano has not responded to the lawsuit.

“I'm going to tell you where I messed up, so you don't make those same mistakes,” Graziano wrote. “I'm going to tell you secrets and shortcuts I've came across that have saved me time, money, and much more. ... Just know that you are getting the real deal. Word for word, picture for picture, tweet for tweet.”