Former credit union employee enters a plea of guilty in court.
A former employee of the $64 million Allentown Federal Credit Union pleaded guilty to five felony counts of bank fraud, embezzlement and money laundering Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Reading, Pa.
Julie Ann Turk, 46, of Slatington, Pa. embezzled more than $640,000 from member accounts through fake fees and wire transfers, according to an indictment filed by federal prosecutors in October. At that time, she pleaded not guilty to the felony charges.
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Federal prosecutors said Turk held several positions, including teller, Master Card coordinator, teller supervisor and general ledger coordinator at the Pennsylvania credit union, which gave her access to general ledger accounts and member accounts.
From January 2009 to April 2016, Turk created fake credit union fees, debited them from AFCU's general ledger account and then credited the fees to her personal credit union account, according to court documents.
What's more, Turk allegedly made $78,000 in wire transfers from AFCU's general ledger account to a member's account who was only identified by the initials L.Z. From this member's account, $59,695 was moved into an account controlled by Turk over three years.
Court documents do not indicate how Turk's fraud was discovered. Her plea document was not publicly available.
Turk's sentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 29.
In another credit union theft case, Clarissa Hurley, 51, a former employee of the $177 million Down East Credit Union in Baileyville, Maine, was sentenced Wednesday to 45 days in jail, said Sagadahoc County Assistant District Attorney A.J. Chalifour.
She pleaded guilty earlier this year to forgery and stealing money from a member's account. West Bath District Court Judge Daniel Billings ordered Hurley to pay restitution of $8,500 and to serve two years of probation following her jail sentence.
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Peter Strozniak
Credit Union Times reporter covering credit union operations, fraud, M&As, leagues, business continuity, and breaking news.
