BURLINGTON, Vt.–The former manager of a branch of a credit union here has dodged jail time but has been ordered to pay more than $135,000 in restitution following a fraud conviction.
U.S. District Court Judge William K. Sessions III gave Tracy Thibodeau the sentence for crimes committed while with Vermont VA FCU. Thibodeau, 47, of Windsor, Vt., was sentenced for the felony conviction, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Vermont.
Thibodeau was sentenced to three years of supervised release and to pay $136,937 in restitution.
According to prosecutors, Thibodeau joined Vermont VA FCU in 2015 and was promoted to branch manager in White River Junction, Vt. around 2016.
Authorities Were ‘Misled’
“Thibodeau misused her authority to open a personal credit card at the financial institution without obtaining the proper authorization from her superiors, according to the court filings,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “Between April 2019 and February 2021, Thibodeau used the card to make more than $140,000 in purchases, during which time she made only small monthly payments toward her large account balance, according to investigators.”
The credit union discovered the fraud in April 2022 and fired Thibodeau, who was later indicted by a federal grand jury on the credit union fraud charge, prosecutors added.
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