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A sentencing hearing for Ashley Viken is expected to be held in February after she admitted to stealing $119,000 while working as an accountant at the $2.3 billion Black Hills Federal Credit Union in Rapid City, S.D., according to federal court documents.
Viken pleaded guilty to one felony count of bank fraud and six felony counts of theft by a credit union employee in U.S. District Court in Rapid City last week.
In exchange for her guilty plea, federal prosecutors agreed to drop 23 felony counts of theft by a credit union employee, court documents showed.
Beginning in July 2022 and continuing through March 2024, Viken wrote cashier’s checks on a Black Hills, account then deposited those checks into her accounts at two small South Dakota credit unions.
Using her access to Black Hills cashier’s check and expired cashier’s check general ledger account, Viken falsely documented that she was reissuing the cashier’s checks or refunding them to the credit union’s members.
Over a 20-month period, Viken deposited 29 cashier’s checks totaling $119,085 into her accounts at the small credit unions.
Although she spent the funds to benefit her and a family member, court documents did not specify how Viken spent the funds or on what.
READ MORE: Viken’s factual basis statement
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Peter Strozniak
Credit Union Times reporter covering credit union operations, fraud, M&As, leagues, business continuity, and breaking news.
