FORTY FORT, Penn. — A woman who previously worked at a federal credit union has agreed to plead guilty to covering up an embezzlement by claiming a fake robbery, while separately
In Pennsylvania, Nicole Hilstolsky, who previously worked at W.O.D. Federal Credit Union in Forty Fort and allegedly stole $16,247 from the credit union’s safe and teller drawer and then falsely claimed two unidentified armed robbers made off with the cash, authorities alleged in court this week.
The credit union is no longer active.
But now, more than seven years later federal prosecutors have filed a criminal information charging her with theft by a credit union employee.
A criminal information means that she has agreed to plead guilty to that charge. She faces a potential maximum term of 30 years in prison and a $1 million according to the plea agreement, WNEP reported.
Sentencing in Scheme That Targeted CU
Meanwhile, in Seattle, a man was sentenced to three years in prison for organizing a fraud scheme that stole more than $345,000 from a western Washington credit union that was not identified in court documents.
According to prosecutors, Dangelo Roberts, 23, advertised on social media that he could make false identification materials and recruited co-schemers to access victims’ accounts. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Jamal N. Whitehead said, “What you did was serious… It caused real financial harm.”
Accounts Taken Over
According to records filed in the case, Roberts used credit union information stolen by defendant Aneicia Ford, 33, of Tacoma, Wash. Ford used her brief employment with the credit union to steal account information of credit union members so that conspirators could take over the accounts and steal the funds. The credit union has fully reimbursed members who lost money to the co-schemers, the U.S. Attorney for Western Washington stated.
“Between May and October 2022, Ford worked out of her Tacoma home as a contact center employee who helped customers with account issues. In that role, she had access to personally identifying information of customers of the credit union,” prosecutors said. “Using the stolen account information, the conspirators obtained false IDs from Roberts and used them to get newly issued debit cards and to make withdrawals from the victims’ accounts, often at the credit union’s branches. Roberts directed the coconspirators on how to impersonate the account holders and commit the fraud.
The Instructions
“For example, he instructed coconspirators obtain increases to the ATM withdrawal limits, and then the conspirators obtained as much as $25,000 in cash,” according to prosecutors. “Roberts also coached the conspirators to spend victims’ funds by ordering cashier’s checks or purchasing postal money orders that were made payable to him, other conspirators, or their associates.”
In all, the scheme stole approximately $345,014 from the credit union accounts. Judge Whitehead determined Roberts was responsible for $146,016 in loss. He ordered Roberts to pay that amount in restitution.
Six People Charged
Six people were charged in the scheme. Ford and Roberts face significant penalties, including a mandatory two-year minimum sentence, due to their abuse of trust and leadership role, respectively, prosecutors said. Ford is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 4.
