NORTHERN SHORES, Mich.—An appeals court here has decided not to overturn a 6.5-year prison sentence for a woman who stole nearly $2 million from Shoreline Federal Credit Union.
Kathryn Sue Simmerman, the CU’s former manager, was sentenced last year for embezzling the money over a 17-year period. As CUToday.info reported, Simmerman said that over that period she took money from the “vault,” which was a locked file cabinet drawer, 433 times and then had it deposited into her accounts at the credit union.
Her lawyers argued that Simmerman’s sentencing guidelines were too high. But a federal appeals court said that the enhancements were appropriate, the Associated Press reported.
The court said Simmerman’s embezzlement threatened the health of the credit union, noting that the amount of money was equal to 86% of Shoreline’s earnings over its 62-year history, the AP stated.