Rhoda Pohina, a former assistant manager, was sentenced to four years in prison Wednesday for stealing more than $170,000 from the $14.3 million Harrison District No. 2 Federal Credit Union in Colorado Springs, according to the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s office.
The 39-year-old pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge in August.
According to a police investigation, Pohina used her home computer to access the credit union’s databases that she manipulated to funnel cash advances into her account. She used those stolen funds to pay off her credit cards.
A lack of controls enabled Pohina to carry out the theft from December 2008 to June 2015, police said.
Nicholas Jensen, president/CEO of Harrison District No. 2 FCU, said while Pohina was able to take advantage of some internal control weaknesses at that time, the credit union eliminated those weaknesses following a review by the NCUA and independent auditors.
A plea agreement requires Pohina to pay $215,157 in restitution to the credit union’s insurance company and an additional $3,100 to cover the credit union’s insurance deductible, according to the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s office, which prosecuted the case.
