MUSKEGON, Mich.–A former credit union employee who, unbeknownst to the CU, was free on bond after having committed larceny in a previous job with a bank before committing new crimes in her CU job, has been convicted.
Michelle Renee Couch, who was hired as a teller with First General Credit Union, was charged with three different fraud-related cases, including draining funds from the account of a dead customer while working at PNC Bank.
Crouch, 52 pleaded no contest to charges that also included creating false documents, identity theft, using a computer to commit a crime, forgery, and larceny.
According to authorities, Crouch was originally accused of stealing more than $100,000 from the savings of a customer at PNC Bank who had died. Crouch falsified loan documents that claimed to show that the customer, who was a friend of Crouch’s, had authorized an interest-free loan to her to help pay her mortgage. Crouch created the document on her home computer.
The credit union hired Crouch after she left the bank and was free on bond, and while at First General she stole $10,000 from the member’s account.
According to MLive.com, the judge in the case has committed to cap her minimum sentence at 20 months in the Michigan Department of Corrections.