Former Assistant Branch Manager Pleads Not Guilty to Theft Charges
Pennsylvania prosecutors allege Patricia Ann Yon took thousands from members’ accounts at Your Choice FCU.
A former assistant branch manager for a Pennsylvania credit union pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that she stole more than $31,000 from member accounts.
Patricia Ann Yon, 47, of Tyrone, Pa., who formerly worked at the $13 million Your Choice Federal Credit Union in Altoona, Pa., was charged with theft, receiving stolen property and unlawful use of a computer, according to a criminal complaint filed by Logan Township police.
The theft was detected last January by Your Choice President/CEO Autumn M. Petta, who noticed discrepancies in a member’s account from which Yon allegedly stole $3,500, police investigators said in the criminal complaint.
When Yon was placed on leave on Feb. 3, 2020, she also allegedly withdrew $900 from another member’s account. Two days later, Yon submitted a resignation letter and offered to reimburse the $3,500.
In addition, Petta alleged that Yon used the credit union’s computer system to make false entries to the member accounts from which Yon allegedly stole funds. The former manager also allegedly targeted members that she believed were not going to pay attention to their accounts, according to the criminal complaint.
The credit union hired a CPA firm to conduct a forensic audit, which concluded that Yon allegedly stole $31,266 from three member accounts over five years. Adding the interest that would have been earned on that amount stolen, the total loss to Your Choice amounted to $45,081, according to the criminal complaint.
The credit union is also seeking restitution of $23,500 for the cost of the forensic audit, $400 for postage of member verification, and $388 for envelopes and paper.
When Yon appeared for a local court hearing on Thursday, she pleaded not guilty. Her case was bound over for a trial by jury in Blair County Common Pleas Court, according to Yon’s attorney Dan Kiss in Altoona.
“We don’t believe Ms. Yon did anything criminal in nature,” Kiss said. “We believe that the evidence is going to show that there were a lot of ongoings at that credit union, and essentially she’s going to be the fall person for a lot of those things that happened.”
Kiss declined to provide specifics regarding this claim.
When reached by phone on Friday, Petta declined to comment.