Dekoda Scott Clark, 32, of Tell City, Indiana, has been sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison for bank theft and access device fraud after stealing over $158,000 from customer accounts while working as a Relationship Banker at a bank branch in Evansville. Clark will also serve three years of supervised release and must pay $158,208.53 in restitution to the defrauded bank.
According to court records, between January 2023 and March 2024, Clark used his position at the bank to withdraw cash without authorization from customer accounts and issued fraudulent debit cards. These cards were linked to the checking accounts of five individuals and two businesses without their consent. Clark used the cards for purchases totaling $15,708.53 at various retailers including Dicks Sporting Goods, Guitar Center, and Best Buy. Items bought included Apple iPads, a MacBook Pro, an Apple Watch Ultra, televisions, a Lenovo gaming laptop, memory cards, a DJI Mini Drone, and an Xbox game drive. One transaction involved a $2,000 deposit into his own Draft Kings account.
In addition to these purchases using unauthorized debit cards, Clark withdrew $142,500 in cash from three individual accounts without permission.
“Bank employees are entrusted with safeguarding their customers’ hard-earned money, not exploiting that trust for personal gain,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Clark not only harmed individual victims but also undermined confidence in the financial system. This sentence, and the restitution he now owes, reflects the serious consequences of betraying that trust, and the level of accountability our office will seek for those who exploit their positions to defraud the public.”
“Instead of serving his bank’s customers, Dekoda Clark lavishly served himself by illegally taking their money to pay for video game systems and other expensive tech gadgets,” said Ike Barnes, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Indianapolis Field Office. “The U.S. Secret Service is committed to safeguarding the nation’s financial infrastructure and pursuing this type of malfeasance. I am proud of our work in this case, and I want to thank the FBI, Evansville Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Indiana for their efforts in bringing justice to this defendant.”
“This sentence demonstrates that those who abuse positions of trust for personal gain will be held accountable,” said Timothy O’Malley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Indianapolis. “By stealing more than $158,000 from customer accounts, this defendant not only violated the law but also the confidence placed in him by both her employer and the community. The FBI remains committed to protecting the integrity of our financial institutions and pursuing those who commit fraud and theft.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Evansville Police Department. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew B. Miller for prosecuting this case.
