Mother and Daughter Plead Guilty to $1.2 Million Conspiracy Fraud
Mindy Plasters and Brittany Aikey, who worked at a Pennsylvania credit union, steal funds from members over nine years.
A mother and daughter pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud based on allegations that they stole up to $1.2 million while they were working at a Pennsylvania credit union.
Mindy Plasters, the mother, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Williamsport on Monday, and her daughter Brittany Aikey pleaded guilty on April 18, according to court documents. A sentencing date for them has not been scheduled yet.
A Pennsylvania grand jury indictment in June 2022 alleged Aikey and Plasters stole the credit union’s funds from 2009 to February 2017 while they were working at the $17.1 million NU Community Credit Union in Milton, Pa., which was merged into the $641 million Service 1st Federal Credit Union in Danville, Pa., during the second quarter of 2018.
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 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.
What’s more, 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 they did so with members’ knowledge of the existence of those cash advances, but 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.
In February 2020, the NCUA banned Aikey for allegedly withdrawing more than $3,000 from members’ accounts without their authorization, though she did not admit or deny the allegation.