Bank teller stole nearly $100,000 from customers, feds say. Now he’s prison bound

A former bank teller is headed to prison after stealing nearly $100,000 from bank customers in West Virginia, federal prosecutors say.

Over several months, the man pulled more than $97,000 out of five customers’ accounts, specifically through embezzlement, while working as a teller at Summit Community Bank in Salem, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.

As a result, a judge sentenced the 31-year-old Salem man to one year and three months in federal prison on Nov. 7 after previously pleading guilty to one count of bank theft and one count of a false tax return, the office announced in a news release.

After stealing the money from bank customers, prosecutors say the man was caught not reporting the extra money to the IRS on his 2020 tax return.

It was not specified what he spent the stolen money on. However, customers were paid back by Summit Community Bank once it learned of the teller’s theft, prosecutors say.

The man’s attorney declined a request for comment from McClatchy News on Nov. 8.

Now, as a part of the man’s plea agreement, he must pay $97,765.30 in restitution to the bank, according to the release. Additionally, he owes $27,374.28 in restitution to the IRS.

His sentencing comes after an investigation by the FBI, the IRS and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, according to prosecutors.

Salem is about 135 miles northeast of Charleston.

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