In less than a week, three former employees in Georgia, Ohio and New York were accused of allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from their credit unions following police investigations.
On Nov. 1, Teresa Lynn Bruce, 50, of Flowery Branch, Ga. was accused of allegedly altering the books to steal $40,000 from the $35 million Lanier Federal Credit Union in Oakwood, Ga., reported the Gainesville Times. The newspaper, citing police sources, also reported Bruce was charged with forgery, ID theft and theft by taking.
Robin Simpson, president/CEO of Lanier FCU, declined to comment because the incident remains under investigation by county prosecutors.
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In Ohio, Morgan Fuller, 21, a former teller for the $2.8 billion General Electric Credit Union in Cincinnati, was charged with allegedly embezzling nearly $34,000, Fox 19 TV news reported on Nov. 2.
She allegedly stole the funds from three different accounts and attempted to conceal the theft by making a fake deposit to those accounts. The theft was initially detected by the credit union's fraud department, according to the local media report that cited police records.
"We are currently working closely with law enforcement officials and do not have further comments as we consider the matter closed," said Jill Lingo, marketing director for General Electric CU.
On Nov. 3, Bryan Orser, 32, a former branch manager, pleaded guilty to stealing more than $65,000 from the USAlliance Financial Federal Credit Union in Rye, N.Y, according to the MidHudson News.
An indictment charged that the theft occurred between January and March 2015, the newspaper reported. Orser's sentence hearing is set for January.
USAlliance Financial did not respond to a CU Times request seeking comment.
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Peter Strozniak
Credit Union Times reporter covering credit union operations, fraud, M&As, leagues, business continuity, and breaking news.
