A woman who was employed at a First Tennessee bank as a teller has accepted a plea bargain and pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. When she was indicted back in March, she faced seven counts of theft, embezzlement or misapplication by a bank employee involving amounts over $200,000 and seven counts of bank fraud.
In the plea agreement, the woman detailed how she would take money from the accounts of other customers and then deposit it into her account, other accounts or otherwise take the money to use herself. In an effort to conceal her actions, she diverted bank documents, including a bank statement that belonged to an account holder.
According to court records, the woman admitted that two customers’ accounts were debited without their consent in 2014. Those activities occurred between April and June of that year. In February 2014, a customer’s account was debited $10,000 without the customer knowing or approving.
She is facing a prison term of up to 37 years, with supervised release of up to five years, restitution if required, a fine of up to $1 million and a special assessment of $100. She is currently out on bond and will remain so until her sentencing date of Feb. 22, 2017.
When facing a charge such as bank fraud, it is important that you begin to plan your defense strategy with your attorney right away. Your lawyer will work with you to develop a strong defense against the charge or work with the prosecutor to determine if an acceptable plea bargain is a possibility.
Source: Cleveland Banner, “Former teller pleads guilty to bank fraud,” Brian Graves, Aug. 26, 2016