TALLAHASSEE, Fla.— A former credit union employee here has been charged with stealing nearly $37,000 over a two-year period.
According to court documents, an internal investigation at First Commerce Credit Union revealed that 35-year-old Christopher Hutchens had stolen a total of $36,700, WTXL reported. In October 2018, a fraud investigator for the credit union reported to the Leon County Sheriff's Office that money had been stolen, the news outlet reported. Documents from the credit union show that Hutchens had been conducting an ongoing "scheme" throughout the time of his employment with the credit union, WTXL said.
The court documents state the first time Hutchens allegedly stole money from the credit union's vault was in April 2016. Investigators say in May 2018, Hutchens was transferred to a different First Commerce location. A couple days later, an employee discovered that the vault was short nearly $37,000 of cash, according to documents, WTXL said. When the employee approached Hutchens about it, he stated, "she shouldn't worry about it and he would take care of it,” the court documents said.
How Scheme Allegedly Worked
“During the investigation, deputies discovered that Hutchens had gained electronic access from his former branch and had transferred the money that was in the vault to the electronic teller at his current branch,” WTXL reported. “According to deputies, Hutchens had been making multiple electronic money transfers to and from the vault on various occasions.”
According to investigators, during an interview Hutchens admitted to taking the money due to personal hardships. He was arrested and transported to the Leon County Detention Center, and now faces numerous charges. He has bonded out.