Accused CEO Ordered to Undergo Mental Health Evaluation

On May 4, more than 800 members attended the 102nd annual meeting of Municipal Credit Union in New York City, where they were told their president/CEO Kam Wong was on leave.

Just four days later, on May 8, members found out why Wong was on leave. Many of them were shocked, stunned, sad, angry, disappointed and disgusted that the top executive they had trusted for years was arrested and charged with fraud, embezzlement and aggravated identify theft in Manhattan’s federal court, just a mile from the MCU headquarters building where Wong worked since the 1980s.

He is free after posting a $1 million bond that was secured by his home on Long Island’s Valley Stream. Wong was also ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device and undergo a mental health evaluation and treatment, according to court documents filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

His conditions of release also require Wong to not have any contact with MCU employees or board members, and to refrain from “possessing the identification of others.”

Federal prosecutors said the 62-year-old executive allegedly stole millions of dollars from the state’s oldest credit union through various fraudulent schemes from 2013 to 2018, and spent $3.5 million of the money he allegedly embezzled on New York lottery tickets, according to a federal investigation.

Jeffrey Lichtman, Wong’s attorney, however said that the payments his client received were transparent and open with the board of directors. In addition to Lichtman, Wong hired a second criminal defense attorney, Jonathan T. Savella of New York.

Since Tuesday’s news broke, MCU members posted more than 100 comments on the credit union’s Facebook page. And while many members just could not believe this was happening, others had questions about the board and if others were involved, and some members were calling for accountability or that it was time to clean house.

“I received a[n] email about this. I thought it was fake news. Wow!!!” Myrlene Caines exclaimed.

“Unbelievable!!” Denise Anderson wrote.

Some members were flabbergasted after learning the CEO allegedly spent millions of the money he embezzled on New York lottery tickets.

“Lottery Tickets???” Renato Buchart posted.

Some members expressed anger.

“This [CEO was] stealing millions and y’all can’t refund $35 overdraft fees and charging $5 for cards,” Shaneiqua Boyd wrote.

“This level of corruption is disgusting. There needs to be a thorough house cleaning from top to bottom to see if there are any more involved,” Victor Almodovar commented. “Seriously thinking of canceling my account.”

Members also called out MCU for accountability.

“How is MCU going to recover the members’ money he has stolen so far and prevent his crime from happening again by another MCU President going forward?” Alfred Milton asked. “Most of all, how did this happen in the first place? It’s my strong opinion someone else knew about this in-house and turned the other way.”

Iricia M. Stewart agreed.

“Time to clean house from the top down,” she wrote. “There is no way on earth he was the only one doing this. Where were the checks and balances? Who was approving all this?”

The criminal complaint filed in Manhattan’s U.S. District Court revealed Wong directed others to write him checks for sham invoices, fake vehicle repairs and cash advances. However, the criminal complaint does not assert that others knew about Wong’s schemes or were helping him carry them out. In fact, other executives questioned why Wong failed to provide documentation for how he spent cash advances he received from the credit union. He also provided other executives with misleading information to get paid $3.6 million to cover Wong’s supplemental long-term disability benefit and an additional $3.1 million to cover his personal taxes on that sum.

Norman Kohn, who served as MCU’s chief credit officer, was named acting president/CEO. In a prepared statement released on Tuesday, he assured members that the credit union was not being investigated. He also said MCU has alerted all relevant regulatory agencies and has been conducting its own internal investigation led by outside counsel.

“As Acting President and Chief Executive Officer, I want to assure you that the board and the management team continues to be committed to the important work we do for you day in and day out,” Kohn said. “MCU is as strong as it has ever been and we will continue to provide you, our valued members, with the committed and outstanding service you expect, and deserve, from us.”