Jessica M. Benson, a former teller who plotted the May 2013 robbery of an Educators Credit Union branch in Milwaukee, was sentenced Tuesday to three years in state prison, according to court documents.
Benson, 24, pleaded guilty to robbery of a financial institution on Jan. 7.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge William S. Pocan also sentenced Benson to three years of probation. In this case, there was no restitution because the $6,000 stolen during the robbery was recovered by Milwaukee police.
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"We respect the judge's decision and appreciate that law enforcement did a good job in convicting the persons responsible for the robbery in May 2013," Jim Henderson, director of marketing for the $1.4 billion Educators CU in Mount Pleasant, Wis., said. "More than anything else, we are pleased this case has come to a conclusion. This was an isolated event. We have over 400 employees who are dedicated to doing the right things for our members."
For weeks, Benson plotted to rob the credit union's West Appleton Avenue branch in Milwaukee with her boyfriend, Nathaniel Robinson. They also recruited two other men, Kevin B. Blackburn and Ricardo L. Perkins, to help them carry out the May 7, 2013robbery, according to Milwaukee prosecutors.
Benson had given one of the men inside information on when and how to do the robbery, according to prosecutors.
A security camera captured the robbery at the drive-thru lane where the robbers handed a note to a teller demanding cash. They also threatened to set off a bomb.
Benson, who was working during the robbery, took money from her cash drawer to hand over to the robbers, according to prosecutors.
After the robbery, she did not return to work and police found her apartment had been recently vacated.
Almost a year after she disappeared, Benson was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Northern Illinois in April 2014.
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Peter Strozniak
Credit Union Times reporter covering credit union operations, fraud, M&As, leagues, business continuity, and breaking news.
