Indictment Alleges Mother & Daughter Stole $1.2 Million While Working at Pa. CU

In February 2020, the NCUA banned Brittany Aikey, a former employee at the $17.1 million NU Community Credit Union in Milton, Pa., for allegedly withdrawing more than $3,000 from members’ accounts without their authorization, though she never admitted nor denied the allegation.

More than two years later, Aikey’s employment at NU Community, merged out of existence in 2018, could come back to haunt her again.

A Pennsylvania grand jury indictment filed in federal court on June 9, alleged Aikey and her mother, Mindy Plasters, stole up to $1.2 million from 2009 to February 2017 while they were working at the credit union.

In U.S. District Court in Williamsport on Wednesday, Aikey pleaded not guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. On June 15 in the same courtroom, Plasters also pleaded not guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

They are being represented by different lawyers who did not respond to CU Times‘ request for comment on behalf of their clients. Aikey, 33, of New Columbia and Plasters, 68, also of New Columbia, were released on personal recognizance following their arraignments.

The indictment alleged Aikey and Plasters conspired to steal money from the credit union by applying for loans using the names and identities of members without their knowledge. The family duo also falsified financial information on the loan applications using members’ identities in order to qualify for the loans, the indictment alleged.

However, the indictment also alleged that Aikey and Plasters applied for loans using the identities of members with their knowledge of the existence of such loans, but the former employees allegedly gave the members false and misleading information about the purpose and terms of those loans.

Aikey and Plasters allegedly used their positions at the credit union to secure approval of the loans and spent the money for their own personal use. The indictment did not report their job titles.

In addition, the mother and daughter allegedly took cash advances on members’ credit cards serviced by the credit union without their knowledge. Aikey and Plasters also allegedly applied for credit card cash advances using the identities of members and did so with members’ knowledge of the existence of those cash advances, but they gave members false and misleading information about the purpose and terms of those cash advances, according to the indictment.

Court documents did not say how many loans and cash advances were allegedly stolen by Aikey and Plasters.

The NCUA approved NU Community’s merger with the $616 million Service 1st Federal Credit Union in Danville, Pa., during the second quarter of 2018 for expanded services, but its financial performance reports showed NU Community was struggling.

In March 2018, the credit union posted a loss of more than $158,000. At the end of 2017, NU Community recorded a loss of more than $200,000, a $405,757 loss in 2016, and a $91,773 loss in 2015, according to NCUA financial performance reports. While the credit union had a gain of $181,705 in 2014, it lost $464,619 in 2013.

What’s more, from 2013 to 2017, the credit union recorded delinquent loans that ranged from more than 3% to nearly 6%, which was substantially higher than the peer average of 1.23%, NCUA financial performance reports showed.