A couple engaged to be married were also allegedly engaged in a $374,000 fraudulent check scheme while they worked at two Wisconsin credit unions to support their mutual drug habit.
Anna Chaberek, 32, of Waukesha, Wis., a former accounting specialist at the $26.8 million Enterprise Credit Union in Brookfield, Wis., and Anthony N. Tourtillott, 30, a form teller at the $42.9 million Focus Credit Union in Wauwatosa, Wis., were each charged with four felony charges of theft last week by Waukesha County prosecutors.
Chaberek and Tourtillott were allegedly responsible for 328 fraudulent checks that were deposited into six different bank accounts for a loss of $300,230 and 429 unauthorized ACH transactions deposited into three different bank accounts for a loss of $74,229, according to a six-page criminal complaint that detailed how the duo pulled off the scheme between the two credit unions.
If convicted, Chaberek and Tourtillott could each face up to 40 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. They are scheduled to make their initial appearance in Waukesha County Circuit Court Dec. 19.
In March, Enterprise CU executives ported to police detectives that a state audit discovered discrepancies in accounts that were managed by Chaberek. The fraud was discovered after auditors requested the reconciliation reports of the credit union shared draft account. The money for the shared draft account was held by Cleveland State Bank.
Chaberek provided two Cleveland State Bank statements of accounts for Dec. 31, 2015 and Jan. 29, 2016, and the general ledger verifications for Enterprise CU for the same dates.
When executives reviewed the Enterprise CU balance on the general ledger, it matched the report provided by Chaberek. However, when these documents were provided to state auditors, they uncovered that the balances for the two statements did not match. The difference was more than $300,000, according to the criminal complaint.
Also in March, police arrested Tourtillott for stealing $1,600 from his cash drawer at Focus CU. During the arrest, officers found 51 Percocet pills and two suspected counterfeit checks on Tourtillott’s person. One of the checks belonged to Chaberek’s account at Enterprise CU.
Tourtillott admitted to police that he received numerous checks from his fiancée Chaberek. She allegedly told him to cash two checks every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The checks had Chaberek’s name on them and were made out to cash for $980. The checks also had Chaberek’s signature on the back and front.
Enterprise CU executives explained to police that cashing a check for under $1,000 did not raise a red flag with the credit union, and that Chaberek and Tourtillott used two accounts, so that the two checks for $980 could be cashed on the same day without raising suspicion. Those two accounts belonged to Chaberek’s father and sister who did not give anyone permission to access to their accounts.
Tourtillott would call or text Chaberek that he had deposited the checks into an account. Chaberek lifted the hold on the check at Enterprise and Tourtillott immediately withdrew the funds.
“Tourtillott told detectives that there was an agreement and understanding between Chaberek and himself that she would provide the checks, and he would conduct the transaction and use the money to purchase Percocet pills that would then be split between the two of them,” according to the criminal complaint. “Tourtillott said he would purchase approximately 75 to 80 Percocet pills every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the $1,950 he was acquiring from cashing these checks.”
Enterprise CU executives told investigators when the counterfeit checks Tourtillott cashed at Focus CU were returned to Enterprise CU, Chaberek would make a stop payment on the checks and hide them in an account of a 90-year-old member. Police investigators found that the member trusted Chaberek, who had helped the 90-year-old woman keep her account balanced over the last 10 years. However, the member said she did not give Chaberek permission to write checks out of her account.
According to the criminal complaint, Chaberek used Enterprise CU’s checking account typewriter to make counterfeit checks. Chaberek printed her name and address on the checks but used the account number of the 90-year-old woman.
Police said the alleged fraudulent check scheme occurred from January 2015 to March 2016.
