Bank teller steals $88,000 from convenience store’s deposits in Georgia, feds say

A Georgia bank teller skimmed nearly $90,000 from a convenience store over the course of two years, federal officials say.

The 32-year-old woman from Metter pleaded guilty to bank fraud and faces up to 30 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.

The woman worked as a teller at Synovus Bank, according to court documents. Officials say she personally handled the deposits of a local convenience store with an account at the bank.

McClatchy News could not immediately reach the defendant’s lawyers.

From July 2019 through sFebruary 2021, the woman stole money from the store’s deposits for “personal use” and falsified deposit slips to conceal her behavior, a plea agreement says.

Eventually the convenience store caught on.

“An auditor for the store began noticing substantial discrepancies between the amount of cash presented to the bank for deposit compared to the amount credited to the store,” an Aug. 23 news release says.

In one instance, the former teller stole more than $800 from a cash deposit of $3,121.38, the plea agreement says.

As part of the agreement, the government will recommend the former teller be “sentenced to the low end of the advisory guidelines range determined by the court at sentencing,” and that the “government will not object to any request by defendant that part of her sentence be served on home confinement.”

The Candler County woman also will pay restitution for the full losses, the agreement outlines.

“Bank customers count on their financial institutions to operate with honesty and integrity,” U.S. Attorney Jill Steinberg said in the release. “This plea offers assurance that (the defendant) will be held accountable for her theft.”

This story was originally published August 23, 2023 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Bank teller steals $88,000 from convenience store’s deposits in Georgia, feds say."