Bank fire, missing cash may be linked in North Carolina

The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a report of embezzlement from the Enochville Dollar General Store, located directly beside Community One Bank. A $5,111 cash bank deposit went missing sometime between July 3 and July 6, and was reported Wednesday by Roger Rickard, loss prevention supervisor of Dollar General. The Community One Bank suffered damage from a fire to its deposit box July 6, but no records or cash were destroyed. Richard “Rick” Jurgenson, vice president and director of security for Community One Bank in Enochville, said the July 6 fire was surrounded by “unusual circumstances. ”Capt. John Sifford of the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office said the embezzlement is under investigation.
“One of their (Dollar General’s) deposits was not found at the bank,” Sifford said. “It was supposed to have been made, but was not in the drop box.”Sifford said the embezzlement and fire could be related, and the Sheriff’s Office is “certainly exploring the possibility.”

Connecticut Woman Receives Suspended Sentence in Embezzlement Case

Laura Smith, wife of longtime First Selectman Richard Smith, has been spared jail time on a charge of first degree larceny in the embezzlement of $47,983 from the local Liberty Bank branch.Middlesex Superior Court Judge Patrick Clifford Friday gave Smith, 46, a suspended sentence of eight years in prison. The sentence also includes five years on probation, and a requirement for 225 hours of community service.Smith was arrested last November after a police investigation of the embezzlement of $47,983 from accounts at the Liberty Bank branch on Main Street. Smith had worked as a teller at the bank. The police investigation began in February 2009 after bank officials reported the missing funds. Smith has paid back the embezzleed funds.Police reports in the case indicated Smith had a severe gambling problem, and had lost $408,887 at the Mohegan Sun Casino over the past decade, with about $10,000 in earlier losses at the Foxwoods Resort Casino. Police believe the embezzled funds were used to cover gambling debts.The sentence from Clifford also requires Smith to continue to receive counseling for her compulsive gambling problem through a program at Middlesex Hospital, and to stay out of the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods casinos. Smith, who now works at an area Dunkin Donuts, was also ordered to maintain verifiable employment.

Arcata, California bank employee arrested on charges of embezzlement, elder abuse

A Northern Redwood Federal Credit Union employee was arrested Tuesday for allegedly embezzling more than $100,000. Elliot Shane McCarl, 32, of McKinleyville was booked into the Humboldt County jail on suspicion of embezzlement and elder abuse after an audit and an investigation was completed this week, according to an Arcata Police Department press release. The credit union first discovered discrepancies in the account balances of at least five customers around July 5, and immediately launched an audit and then notified APD on July 9, said Detective Sgt. Todd Dokweiler. McCarl allegedly transferred money from about five bank customer accounts to his personal account over a roughly one-year period. ”Typically, I think bank employees are trustworthy,” Dokweiler said, and it was other bank employees who noticed the discrepancies and looked into them. During the audit, the credit union went over all McCarl's transactions -- it appears that McCarl allegedly picked people who seemed “inattentive in their banking practices” or were elderly, Dokweiler said. McCarl has worked for the credit union for nearly three years, according to the APD. His bail was set at $119,000. The manager of Northern Redwood Federal Credit Union, which is located on Giuntoli Lane in Arcata, was unavailable for comment.Dokweiler said he was unsure if the bank would be investigated for the incident, but said such an investigation would not be through the APD.

South Dakota Loan officer accused of stealing client's identity

A former commercial loan officer who allegedly fled the country after admitting to identity theft has been indicted in Minnehaha County.John Robert Delay, 36, of Dell Rapids, will face two counts of grand theft embezzlement, five counts of fogery and two counts of identity theft.An affidavit filed with his arrest warrant states that Deay attempted to sell an Egan man a loan from Great Western Bank in 2008. Delay was a loan officer with Great Western at that time.The man gave Delay copies of his income tax returns, and he allegedly used the information on them to secure two $14,000 loans without the victim's permission. He then deposited the money in his own account and used it to pay bills, the affidavit states.Delay spoke with detectives on May 10 and admitted the theft, the affidavit says. On May 11, the arrest warrant was issued.Between then and July 7, when deputies from the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office arrested him at the Empire Mall, prosecutors believe he was in Canada.His bond was set at $1,000 cash last week on the condition that he relinquish his passport.

Former Eau Claire bank employee enters plea in embezzlement case

A former bank employee, accused of embezzling around $22,000 from his employer, has reached a plea agreement.Kenneth Hamberger of Green Bay, worked at the Citizens Community Bank in Eau Claire for 15 years. He was responsible for preparing bills on cars, homes and other property the bank financed or repossessed.Hamberger told officers he would pocket some of the money for himself from transactions, and use it on his own expenses, such as child support. He also said he has a drinking problem and was, "...probably drunk most of the time he was at work."Authorities say he has repaid most of the money he embezzled, before entering a plea deal on Monday. He pleaded guilty to felony theft from a financial institution and two misdemeanor theft charges. Hamberger will serve 75 days in jail for the two misdemeanors. For the felony charge, a deferred prosecution was ruled, which means the charge will be dropped if he completes orders from the court for 1.5 years. Besides paying the money back, the agreement also requires Hamberger to complete 120 hours of community service.

New York ex-bank computer tech gets prison in $1M scam

A computer technician who used a three-month job at a New York bank as a launching pad for almost a decade of theft from charities has been sentenced to five to 15 years in prison.Adeniyi Adeyemi (ah-DEN'-ee ah-deh-YEM'-ee) told a judge Wednesday he felt "shame, guilt and remorse" for his scheme.He admitted last month to stealing 2,000 bank employees' identities in 2001. He used their IDs for years to siphon about $1 million from charities that released banking information to ease donations.He transferred money from the charities' accounts to accounts he'd opened under stolen identities.Adeyemi pleaded guilty to charges including grand larceny. The 27-year-old Nigerian immigrant will be deported after serving his sentence. The range reflects possible credit for good behavior.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud

United States Attorney William N. Nettles stated today that Gary Albert Hager, age 58, of North Myrtle Beach, SC, pled guilty today in federal court in Florence to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349. United States District Judge Terry L. Wooten of Florence accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that Hager was employed as a loan officer for J P. Morgan Chase Bank in Myrtle Beach, SC. As such, he became acquainted with Jeremy Eason, a mortgage broker employed by Dunes Mortgage. Eason arranged for the separate sale of four properties in the Myrtle Beach area. The sales generated mortgage loans submitted by Hager in the amount of $3,300,000.00 to J. P. Morgan Chase and Plantation Federal. The loan packages contained applications with false information, false HUD 1 Settlement Statements, as well as inflated appraisals. By fraudulently representing to the banks that the properties were valued at more than their actual value, the banks lent excessive funds. Hager and others were then able to receive excess proceeds at closing to divide amongst themselves, unbeknownst to the banks. Hager received approximately $25,000.00 in kickbacks from Jeremy Eason from August to October 2008. Mr. Nettles stated the maximum penalty Hager can receive is a fine of $1,000,000.00 and/or imprisonment for 30 years, plus a special assessment of $100.00.The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney William E. Day, II of the Florence office handled the case.