ALEXANDRIA, Va.― To close 2025 NCUA has issued consent-based prohibitions to three people whose actions led to more than $1.7 million in losses to credit unions.
The order mean the individuals named are permanently prohibited from participating in the affairs of any federally insured depository institution.
Issued the orders of prohibition were:
$750K in Losses from Manipulating Cash-on-Hand Records
A prohibition order has been issued to Rita Hartman, a former employee of Muddy River Credit Union, Atchison, Kan. Hartman agreed and consented to the issuance of a prohibition order and agreed to comply with all its terms to settle and resolve the NCUA Board’s claims against her.
Hartman was manager of MRCU (formerly Bradken CU) from 2007-21. NCUA said it learned in January of 2021 that Hartman had been embezzling funds by falsely inflating the value of MRCU’s cash on deposit in reports to NCUA, while maintaining a manual ledger listing a “substantial amount of cash on hand at the credit union, Respondent concealed her embezzlement by reporting a lower amount of cash on hand to the NCUA and a higher amount of cash on hand in the credit union’s own records.
“Respondent Also embezzled funds by crediting members’ accounts for loan payments and deposits received, but then failing to deposit any cash for the credited amounts. After respondent unexpectedly resigned on the credit union during an audit in January 2021, MRCU discovered that respondent had embezzled approximately $750,000 from the credit union,” NCUA added.
Hartman pled guilty to false entries in federal credit institution records in January of 2025 and was sentenced to 63 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $778,361.78, according to NCUA.
Checks Issued from Accounts of Dormant Members
A prohibition order has been issued to Teresa Margiotta, former employee of Peak Credit Union, Lacey, Wash. Lacey agreed and consented to the issuance of a prohibition order and agreed to comply with all its terms to settle and resolve the NCUA;s claims against her.
According to the prohibition order, Margiotta was employed at Peak Credit Union from 2005-2025, first as a teller and then as senior support services specialist. “During her employment is it alleged that Respondent engaged in misconduct for her personal financial benefit,” NCUA said. “From at least August 2023 through February 2025 she fraudulently issued checks from dormant members’ accounts, then voided them, then reissued them for her own purposes.:
NCUA said Margiotta’s actions led to more than $230,000 in losses to the credit union.
Fraudulent Loan Applications
A prohibition order has been issued to Evelyn Bittar, former employee of Transfiguration Parish FCU, Brooklyn, N.Y. Bittar has agreed and consented to the issuance of a prohibition order and agreed to comply with all its terms to settle and resolve the NCUA Board’s claims against her, the agency said.
According to NCUA, Bittar was employed as operations manager from December 2011 through May 2023 and that during her employment it is alleged she engaged in misconduct for her personal financial benefit. NCUA said that from at least February 2012 through December 2022, Bittar fraudulently prepared loan applications and distributed funds between member accounts.
“Subsequently, a review of the TPFCU records revealed her misconduct totaled more than $720,000 in losses to the credit union,” NCUA said.
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