May 07, 2008 10:50 pm
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By Roger McKinney
rmckinney@joplinglobe.com
WEIR, Kan. — A former vice president of Citizens Bank of Weir is to be sentenced July 23 after pleading guilty Wednesday to embezzling money from the bank to pay off gambling debts.
Martha Thompson, 59, is known locally as Marlane Thompson. She had worked at the bank for 43 years before her employment ended in August 2007. She was indicted in December 2007.
In her plea in federal court, Thompson admitted that she made unauthorized loans to herself from the bank to pay off gambling debts she accumulated during visits to casinos. When an audit of the bank’s funds was announced, she combined her loans into one large loan and identified it as being made to another bank customer without that customer’s knowledge.
“Additionally, the defendant wrote several checks payable to various casinos for which there were insufficient funds in the defendant’s checking account,” the plea agreement reads. “However, in order to avoid the checks being returned to the casinos, the defendant ‘force’ cleared the checks and subsequently issued a ‘loan’ to herself.”
It was unknown when the embezzlement started, but it continued until Aug. 6, 2007, according to the agreement.
The plea agreement states that the parties don’t agree on the amount of the loss. The government alleges that the loss is $239,098, but Thompson reserves the right to contest the amount at sentencing.
Thompson may never again work at a bank, under the plea agreement.
The maximum sentence Thompson could face is 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine and restitution of the $239,098. The government agreed to recommend a sentence at the low end of the sentencing guideline.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI.
Apology
After Marlane Thompson was confronted by a bank inspector, she wrote an apology to the bank president for her actions, the plea agreement reads.
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