BEAUMONT, Texas – Maxine Snodgrass has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for stealing from her credit union employer, the Department of Justice announced.
Snodgrass, 29, pleaded guilty to credit union theft and was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone. Judge Crone also ordered Snodgrass to pay restitution in the amount of $330,351.39.
According to information presented in court, in April 2023, an auditor with Doches Credit Union requested a sample of loans from the Hemphill branch for review. The review showed missing paperwork and unusual transactions on loans that were approved by Snodgrass. Snodgrass had been employed by Doches Credit Union since 2016, first as a teller and then as a branch manager, the DoJ said.
An investigation conducted by a third party revealed that Snodgrass used a variety of schemes to take money from the credit union for personal gain. This included creating fraudulent loans, refinancing legitimate loans without the consent of the credit union member, misappropriating loan payments, and conducting unauthorized transactions on member accounts.
As part of her plea, Snodgrass admitted she embezzled and willfully misapplied approximately $281,097.97 in money, funds, and assets belonging to Doches Credit Union with the intent to defraud the credit union. She also admitted the amount of restitution owed was $330,351.39, DoJ said.