Former Credit Union Loan Supervisor Gets Over Four Years for Bank Fraud

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Used the Identities of Five Customers to Defraud Bank of More Than $219,000

GREENBELT, MD (LoanSafe.org) —U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte sentenced Felicia Douglas, age 42, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, today to 51 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a scheme to defraud customers at the credit union where she worked. Judge Messitte also entered an order that Douglas pay $194,380.79 in restitution.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to Douglas’ plea agreement, between January 2001 and November 2005, she was employed as a loan supervisor at the Educational Systems Employees Federal Credit Union (“ESEFCU”), which maintained offices in Bladensburg and Greenbelt, Maryland. During her employment, Douglas created fraudulent checking and share accounts, loans, lines of credit (“LOC”), and credit card accounts in the names of at least five ESEFCU customers, including one who was deceased at the time of the conduct, and manipulated these customers’ existing LOC and credit card accounts to increase credit limits, without the customers’ knowledge. Douglas used these accounts to obtain at least $219,390 which she used to pay her credit card bills and otherwise for her personal benefit. Douglas concealed her conduct by using a portion of the funds she fraudulently obtained to repay some of the loans, LOC, and credit card accounts; by backdating transactions and changing terms, such as due dates; and by altering mailing instructions on the accounts to prevent statements and notifications from being sent to the victim ESEFCU customers. The loss to ESEFCU as a result of Douglas’ scheme was at least $219,390.79.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorney Stacy Dawson Belf, who prosecuted the case.