A former CEO of a West Virginia credit union who embezzled more than $156,000 over three years was sentenced to one day in jail, while a teller who worked for an Alaskan credit union for few months and stole more than $100,000 will serve one year in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge James E. Seibert in Wheeling, W. Va., who sentenced Kathleen Gramlich, 65, to one day in prison on Feb. 24, also ordered her to pay $156,342 in restitution and to serve five years of supervised release.
Soon after Gramlich departed the $5.1 million Ohio County Public Schools Federal Credit Union in Wheeling in March 2016, the FBI launched an investigation following discrepancies that had been uncovered by an employee during a routine reconciliation of accounts.
The FBI investigation revealed that between June 2013 and March 2016, Gramlich stole $156,342 from the credit union to pay personal debts.
Court memorandums filed by prosecutors that typically explain how embezzlers steal money and conceal it are sealed and not accessible to the public, according to a local rule of the federal court in Wheeling.
“What I indicated to the judge in court is that the method by which Ms. Gramlich stole the money did not put the individual account holders at risk, and these were on paper transactions only,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod J. Douglas, said.
Shanice Mano was hired as a teller for the $992 million Credit Union 1 in Anchorage in February 2016. Five months later, she was arrested for stealing more than $100,000.
U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Burgess sentenced Mano on Feb. 28 to one year in federal prison. She was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to pay restitution of $21,192.
Mano returned $80,000 to the credit union after she was arrested in July.
The FBI launched an investigation after receiving a call from Lorrain Bennett, SVP of risk management at Credit Union 1. She reported that Mano embezzled funds via two bank transfers.
Mano had a cashier’s check drafted for $101,192, made payable to herself, and cashed it at another Credit Union 1 branch. Mano used the funds to take a trip to California. She also purchased plane tickets to Las Vegas for her and several associates and paid off a car loan.
