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.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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