SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that an employee of Community National Bank in Aurora, Mo., has pleaded guilty in federal court to a $130,000 bank embezzlement scheme.
Jo Ann Nickell, 45, of Aurora, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush on Monday, Oct. 27, 2015, to the charge contained in a Nov. 5, 2014, federal indictment.
Nickell was employed by Community National Bank as a customer service representative and back-up teller from Aug. 17, 2009, to July 19, 2013. By pleading guilty, Nickell specifically admitted that she embezzled $6,000 from the account of one of the bank’s customers.
As a result of Nickell’s criminal actions, Community National Bank and Federal Insurance Company experienced a total loss of approximately $130,268.
Under federal statutes, Nickell is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $1 million and an order of restitution. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abram McGull II and Nhan Nguyen. It was investigated by the Aurora, Mo., Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
