MERCER, Penn.— A former credit union employee with a gambling problem has been sentenced to one year of probation, including 90 days of house arrest and ordered to pay nearly $275,000 in restitution, while in a separate case that involves a former CU CEO, a man has been sentenced for causing more than $2 million in losses to a credit union.
In Pennsylvania, Erin Ross also was ordered to pay $274,392 in restitution after pleading guilty to theft by deception-false impression, a third-degree felony. Other charges were dropped under a plea agreement, according to WKBN.
Ross worked at the credit union–which was not identified–and had access to a system that allowed her to increase credit card limits, according to a criminal complaint cited by the station.
Credit Limit Increased Repeatedly
A consultant for the credit union reported in February that Ross initially had been approved for a credit card with a $3,000 limit. After identifying discrepancies, the consultant discovered her limit had risen to $275,000 and her statement balance was $277,018, according to the complaint.
A forensic audit covering December 2021 through January 2025 found that her credit limit had been adjusted at least 24 times, periodically reaching about $275,000. The increases placed the limit slightly above the outstanding balance at those times, court papers cited by WKBN indicated.
Increases exceeding $10,000 required approval from the credit union’s board of directors. Although documentation contained signatures purportedly from board members, those members told investigators the signatures were fraudulent, according to the complaint.
Gambling Charges and Transfers
The audit identified $589,628 in purchases and other transactions on Ross’ account, according to court papers cited by WKBN. Those included:
- $219,187 in payments to PayPal.
- $177,880 to BetMGM.
- $144,150 to DraftKings.
- $14,905 to Hollywood Casinos.
- $28,884 in cash advances.
- $1,000 to BetRivers PA.
- $545 to Venmo.
- $3,885 in other gambling-related charges, electronic transfers and cash advances.
The complaint reported $334,298 in payments to the account and placed the credit union’s loss at $274,624.
The consultant told investigators Ross admitted increasing her credit limits and said she had a gambling problem, according to WKBN.
Tanzanian Man Caused $2.3M in Losses to CU
Separately, a Tanzanian citizen was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for his role in a scheme that caused more than $2.3 million in losses to a Dallas-based credit union, federal prosecutors said.
Athuman Farid Omar, 49, was sentenced to 40 months in prison and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty in April to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas. U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade also ordered him to pay $2.33 million in restitution, the Dallas News reported.
Years-Long Relationship
Prosecutors said Omar exploited a yearslong relationship with Jonathan Salcedo, the credit union’s former CEO and a co-conspirator in the case, to deposit checks into several business accounts despite knowing the accounts the checks were drawn from lacked sufficient funds, according to the report.
“This sentence and restitution order reflects the seriousness of Mr. Omar’s long-running scheme to exploit a trusted relationship and siphon millions of dollars from a financial institution that serves our community,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said in a statement.
The scheme lasted about 18 months. In December 2022, prosecutors said, Omar attempted over two days to deposit 56 checks totaling about $1.16 million from an account at another bank even though he knew there was not enough money to cover them, the Dallas News reported, adding that Salcedo has also pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced later this year.
Omar, who prosecutors said has lived in the Dallas area for decades “without legal status in the United States,” will be transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after completing his prison sentence.
