International Bank of Commerce Robbery Lands Former Bank Teller in Federal Prison

HOUSTON—Estefany Danelia Martinez, a former bank teller convicted for bank robbery and embezzlement of bank funds arising from a robbery of the International Bank of Commerce (IBOC) has been sentenced to federal prison, United States Kenneth Magidson announced today. U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison handed down the sentences for Martinez, 18, as well as Arturo Solano, 22, in federal court this morning.

 

The two were indicted along with Ricky Gonzalez, 19, the boyfriend of Martinez, and Anna Margarita Rivera, 19, another former IBOC bank teller, on May 11, 2011. All four pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this year.

 

On March 23, 2011, two men wearing masks and hooded sweatshirts and who appeared to be armed with semi-automatic pistols entered the Eldridge Parkway branch of the IBOC. They robbed the bank by threatening the two bank tellers on duty, Martinez and Rivera. The tellers were allegedly forced to empty their teller drawers of cash as well as to fill bags provided by the robbers with cash from the vault. After the two men left the bank, the two tellers—who had remained in the vault, called 911. The tellers described the events and provided a false description of the two robbers to police.

 

Shortly after the robbery, an anonymous tip to Crimestoppers claimed that bank employees, Martinez and Rivera, had actually staged the bank robbery along with Gonzalez and another male and directed investigators to the Facebook pages of Martinez and Gonzalez. Through further investigation, investigating agents ultimately identified Gonzales and Solano as the two males who had robbed the IBOC bank with the assistance of former bank tellers Martinez and Rivera and recovered a portion of the money stolen from the bank.

 

Today, Judge Ellison sentenced Martinez to 15 months on each count to run concurrently, while Solano will serve 10 months in federal prison. Gonzalez and Rivera are pending sentencing on Jan. 5, 2012, and Dec. 8, 2011, respectively.

 

The investigation leading to the filing of federal charges against these four defendants was conducted by the FBI and the Houston Police Department and substantially assisted by a tip called into Houston Crimestoppers.

 

Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Elmilady is prosecuting the case.

Former Microsoft Manager Sentenced to Prison for Embezzlement Scheme

Used Unwitting Third Party Vendor to Steal More Than $400,000

ROBERT D. CURRY, 41, of Seattle, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 33 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $459,341.63 in restitution for wire fraud. CURRY, a former management employee of Microsoft has agreed to repay the company for its losses as well as for the cost of the internal investigation of his criminal conduct. At sentencing today Chief U.S. District Judge Marsha J. Pechman noted that the public has grown increasingly outraged over those who lie to line their own pockets.

According to records filed in the case, CURRY worked as a manager in the online business development area of Microsoft. A highly regarded and well-paid professional with an MBA from Yale, CURRY claims he began the fraud scheme in 2010 when he was disillusioned with Microsoft because of an abusive manager. CURRY convinced one of the vendors he supervised to bill Microsoft for audio equipment he said had been purchased for X-Box 360 promotional events. In fact CURRY had purchased the equipment for his own use. Later, CURRY used the third party vendor to bill Microsoft for downloads of Microsoft’s search engine software. The third party later discovered that the download information was fraudulent, and that the money was passing into companies controlled by CURRY or his friends. Before the scheme was discovered, CURRY tried to embezzle an additional $1.3 million from Microsoft. In all CURRY defrauded Microsoft out of $459,341.

In their request for prison time, prosecutors noted that this was not a simple crime of opportunity. “Mr. Curry stole nearly half a million dollars from his employer in an intricate and sophisticated scheme that took deliberation and careful execution. This was not a hastily committed crime that would have been easily detected, nor was it something that was designed to be a one-time event. This crime was serious because of the careful efforts that Mr. Curry took to manipulate third parties, forge documents, and set up a shell company in a manner that indicated that he intended to continue to exploit his employer for as long as possible and for as much as possible,” the prosecutor wrote in her sentencing memo. The prosecutor also noted that CURRY was the third defendant this year to have been sentenced in this district for theft from Microsoft and urged the court to send a strong deterrent message to make clear that stealing from this company will not be tolerated.

The case was investigated by the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katheryn Kim Frierson.

For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@USDOJ.Gov.

Former Citigroup Vice President Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud for Embezzling More Than $22 Million

Gary Foster, a former vice president in Citigroup, Inc.’s treasury finance department, pleaded guilty today to bank fraud arising from his embezzlement of more than $22 million from Citigroup. Foster entered his plea before the Hon. Eric N. Vitaliano, United States District Judge, at the United States Courthouse in Brooklyn.

The guilty plea was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office.

According to the charging documents, between September 2003 and June 2011, Foster first transferred money from various Citigroup accounts to Citigroup’s cash account, then wired the money to his personal bank account at another bank. Foster concealed his thefts by making various false accounting entries to create the appearance that the cash account was in balance and by placing a fraudulent contract or deal number in the reference line of the wire transfer instructions to give the appearance that the wire transfers were actually in support of an existing Citigroup contract. Foster used the money to buy real estate and luxury automobiles, including a Ferrari and a Maserati. The government has restrained real estate purchased by Foster in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey and seized numerous luxury automobiles and bank accounts that Foster controlled. In total, the value of the seized and restrained property is estimated to be approximately $16 million. Foster will forfeit the property pursuant to his plea agreement.

“The defendant violated his employer’s trust and stole a stunning amount of money over an extended period of time to finance his personal lifestyle,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “We will vigorously investigate and prosecute such conduct and seek to recover as much of the proceeds as possible.”

“Foster exploited his position as a trusted insider to embezzle tens of millions of dollars and to conceal the theft for as long as possible. The FBI is determined to uncover bank larceny in any form,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Fedarcyk.

The defendant faces a maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment on the bank fraud charges.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael L. Yaeger and Karen R. Hennigan.

The Defendant:

GARY FOSTER Age: 35

Former Bakersfield Credit Union Employee Sentenced to 12 Months’ Imprisonment for Stealing a Quarter of a Million Dollars

FRESNO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that today United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii sentenced Carolyn Jean Jones, 45, of Bakersfield, to 12 months in prison for stealing approximately a quarter of a million dollars from her employer, Kern Schools Federal Credit Union. Judge Ishii, in sentencing the defendant, also imposed restitution in the amount of $245,000 and 36 months of supervised release.

In denying the defendant’s request for probation, Judge Ishii noted, “This is a serious offense and the message must be sent that those who steal these amounts from their employers will go to prison.”

This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stanley A. Boone.

According to court documents, Jones worked for Kern Schools Federal Credit Union as a Servicing Representative in the Home Loan Processing Center. From March 2003 and to November 2003, she embezzled over $250,000 by opening up fraudulent lines of credit using pre-existing customers’ information and diverting the monies from those lines of credit into accounts she controlled.

Guilty Plea in Embezzlement by Bank Agent

Defendant Stole Items while Providing Foreclosure Services

ALBANY, NY—United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Special Agent in Charge Clifford C. Holly of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Albany Division, announced today that Sean DeCelle pled guilty before United States Magistrate Judge David R. Homer to embezzlement by an agent of a federally insured bank.

Defendant DeCelle, age 44, of Troy, New York, admitted that, in or about 2009, while acting as an agent of and connected in a capacity with Quantum Bank (hereinafter “the bank”), the deposits of which were then insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, he knowingly and with intent to injure and defraud the bank, took assets of and intrusted to the custody and care of the bank and to him. Specifically, the defendant admitted that he stole certain items belonging to a Ms. Jeanne Wells, d/b/a Marie’s Dreamhouse, Inc., 2804 Route 42, Westkill, New York, while he was providing foreclosure services at that location on behalf of the bank. On June 6, 2010, the defendant was interviewed at his residence by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, at which time he admitted the theft and wrote out a list of items he had taken, which included steamer trays, fans, a meat slicer, wooden chairs, bowls, a tea pot, a silverware separator, and a blender, and the FBI took pictures of a number of these items located within his residence.

Defendant DeCelle faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to one (1) year imprisonment, a $100,000 fine, or both, and a period of up to one year supervised release to follow any term of imprisonment, as well as mandatory restitution. Sentencing was set for Monday, September 26, 2011, at 1:30 p.m., before Magistrate Judge Homer in Albany.

The investigation in this matter was conducted by the Albany Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.

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