A Cleveland bank teller is facing serious charges after allegedly stealing from customer accounts.
Fake Withdrawals, Big Losses
Denice James, a teller at First Federal Savings of Lorain, is accused of stealing roughly $75,000 from eight different customers. Prosecutors say she forged customer signatures on withdrawal slips, submitting them just before closing time to avoid detection. She then pocketed the cash. The alleged thefts occurred between July 25, 2023, and November 2, 2023. James also allegedly embezzled $1,000 from the bank itself.
Multiple Charges
James has been charged with eight counts of bank fraud, eight counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of embezzlement. She has pleaded not guilty.
Part of a Pattern?
This isn’t an isolated incident. Recently, other bank tellers have been implicated in similar schemes. In May, a Maryland teller pleaded guilty to stealing $255,000 from elderly clients, and in March, a New York teller was accused of stealing $1,000,000 from the bank vault.