A former employee of an Alabama credit union was charged with allegedly stealing $31,980 from 66 member accounts, according to court records.
The $3.6 billion Redstone Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Huntsville, Ala., discovered the unauthorized transactions as part of routine monitoring, according to a prepared statement issued by the cooperative.
Cheryl Lea McClendon, 35, a former Redstone FCU employee, was arrested Dec. 5 and charged with first-degree theft of property, according to the Madison County Sheriff Department's website.
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She was released from the county jail on a $5,000 bond, the website said.
The arresting document says the alleged theft occurred this year. McClendon's former job title was unclear.
The credit union contacted law enforcement officials after spotting suspicious account activity.
"Through Redstone's regular policies and procedures of monitoring member transactions, we were able to identify unauthorized transactions on 66 member accounts at our Winchester Road branch, allegedly committed by a now former Redstone employee," the credit union said in a prepared statement.
Affected members have been or are being notified, and all accounts have been fully reimbursed, the credit union said.
"Redstone Federal Credit Union is committed to security and soundness," the statement said. "We employ stringent policies and the latest technologies to ensure that our members' accounts and information remain safe and secure."
Joe Newberry, president/CEO of Redstone FCU, told local media the allegedly fraudulent activity was an isolated incident.
Newberry, who has led the 850-employee cooperative for seven years, reported he was confident Redstone's proprietary policies and procedures, along with its personnel policies, such as pulling reference checks and credit checks on potential employees, would continue to keep members' money safe.
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