Former Teller for Bank of America Sentenced for Embezzling $720,000
A woman from Mt. Pleasant, SC has been sentenced to one year in federal prison after she pled guilty to charges for embezzling $720,000 from her employer, Bank of America, over 15 years.
Michele Gentry, 60 years old, should have been looking forward to retirement. Instead, the money she and her husband had saved will go to pay restitutions to Bank of America after it was discovered that she had been embezzling money from the Mt. Pleasant branch.
According to prosecutors, between 1995 and 2011, Gentry stole $720,000 in increments of $500 and $2000. She worked as the vault teller who moved money from the vault to the teller drawers. She replaced the cash she took with fake cash-in-transit tickets, inter-bank ledger entries, and other paperwork to hide her theft.
Reports show that the embezzling continued until 2011, when Gentry called in sick and her branch manager discovered the embezzlement. She was fired that August, and confessed her crime to bank investigators and federal authorities.
During her sentencing on July 2nd, Gentry’s family and friends told the judge that she expressed extreme remorse since 2011. She has no prior criminal record and a history of volunteer work at her church, which her lawyers had hoped would keep her out of prison.
Her attorneys argued that she should be sentenced to probation instead, but Assistant US Attorney General Rhett DeHart argued that probation would be “unjust.”
“She had many chances to reflect on what she was doing and stop it,” he said. “She was embezzling until she got caught.”
Gentry could have been sentenced to 27 to 33 months for her embezzling crimes, but her actual sentence was 12 months and one day in prison, with five years of supervised release, including six months of home detention.
The judge called Gentry’s crime calculated and methodical.
Federal Embezzling Charges in South Carolina
Federal charges for embezzling carry very stiff penalties. Defendants can lose their professional reputation, their jobs, and damage relationships with their friends and family, although they could later be found not guilty. Punishments for those convicted for embezzling can include fines, imprisonment, probation, payment of compensation and loss of legal rights among other potential punishments.
For an individual to be convicted of embezzlement, the prosecution must prove:
1. The defendant manipulated resources illegally
2. The victim entrusted the defendant with these
3. resources that were allegedly embezzled
4. The defendant intended to deprive the owner of
5. these resources
6. The defendant acquired access to these resources
7. through his/her employment
The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Federal Embezzling Charges
If you or someone you know is facing embezzling charges, contact our office today to get the help of an experienced federal criminal defense attorney who can review your case and determine your best course of action. We offer free, confidential consultations, so do not hesitate to contact us. 803.252.4800.
