Former Credit Union Accounting Manager Sentenced for Embezzlement

U.S. District Court Judge William H. Orrick in San Francisco sentenced former Redwood Credit Union accounting manager Stephanie Simontacchi to 29 months in federal prison on Thursday.

Simontacchi stole $437,162 from the Santa Rosa, Calif.-based financial cooperative from April 2016 to April 2019. Before joining RCU, Simontacchi worked as a bookkeeper and assistant controller with Cavallo Point Lodge, a hotel near Sausalito, Calif., where she also embezzled $384,363 from December 2009 through April 2016, according to federal prosecutors.

Her scheme involved using RCU members’ cashier’s checks that were supposed to be voided, checks that were issued to RCU from its cashier’s check vendor for processing, checks that were issued to RCU from the U.S. Department of Treasury to reimburse the credit union for damaged currency that it replaced for its members, and checks that were issued to RCU from the State of California for sales tax reimbursements.

Simontacchi then altered those checks’ payee names by printing out a new name — specifically, the names of her personal banks or that of a family member — and pasted the new payee names over the original payees’ names. She then deposited the checks into her personal bank or credit card accounts. She also sent emails to RCU’s cashier’s check vendor to cover her tracks when discrepancies surfaced.

RCU said it discovered the fraud in 2019 and promptly reported it to police. No losses were incurred by RCU members because of the fraudulent activity, and the credit union said it further strengthened its systems and processes to prevent future incidents of this nature.

Simontacchi pleaded guilty in February to one felony count of bank fraud, one felony count of misapplication and embezzlement of credit union funds, and one felony count of tax evasion.

In court documents, she wrote to Judge Orrick: “I understand I have failed greatly in the face of my own life’s frustrations. My failures as a professional and personal individual will always be an embarrassment to me and this scar will be carried with me through the rest of my adult life. I may not be able to change the past, but I am taking steps to do better in the future.”

When confronted in 2019 at RCU about the fraud, she admitted her conduct, returned $206,991 she had not spent, and made a plan to pay the money back, according to court documents. She agreed to a settlement with CUMIS Insurance, paid $80,000 and has paid $1,000 per month thereafter. She has received a settlement for a foot injury of $122,590 which she was prepared to immediately hand over and will be paid toward restitution as soon as the parties have finalized a proposed restitution order, Simontacchi’s lawyer said in court documents.

Her lawyer added Simontacchi’s crimes were caused, in part, because her judgment was impeded by a substance abuse condition and unaddressed mental health issues.

“She got sober, and through trial and error, found her way to therapy for compulsive stealing that helped her address her underlying issues,” her lawyer wrote in court documents. “The history that led to her mental health issues and addiction does not excuse her serious and unlawful conduct, but it provides a map showing how an otherwise hardworking, generous and loving mother and daughter who focused her life on caring for other people could have arrived at such a disastrous destination and why such conduct is unlikely to occur again.”