Bank manager steals cash directly from vault in $439,000 Missouri fraud case, feds say

A bank branch manager in Missouri stole about $439,000, including by taking cash directly from the bank’s vault, according to federal authorities.

Now the woman from Morrisonville, Illinois, has pleaded guilty to a felony charge of theft of embezzlement by a bank officer, authorities said in a March 1 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.

In her signed plea agreement, the 35-year-old admitted she stole money from a UMB Bank branch in St. Louis. Authorities said she did so by “(taking) cash directly from the vault and (moving) currency from other cash supplies into her cash drawer totals.”

The defense attorney representing the woman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on March 2.

The manager admitted to her co-workers that she stole the money then gave it to her boyfriend, according to court records. She also said her boyfriend had recently died.

She worked as a manager of the branch from Jan. 1, 2021 to March 18, 2022, authorities said.

She faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, and she’ll be required to repay what was stolen, according to the news release. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 6.

UMB Bank declined to provide a statement, saying it does not comment on pending litigation.

Morrisonville is about 80 miles northeast of St. Louis.

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