Published January 08. 2015 04:00PM
By RON GOWER
rgower@tnonline.comShelly Ann Kocher, 43, of Lehighton, a former bank supervisor who admitted to stealing more than $375,000 from customers' accounts, was sentenced to 27 months in prison on Wednesday.She will begin her sentence on Feb. 11.Kocher appeared for the sentencing Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Richard P. Conaboy in Scranton.She was ordered to pay $444,570 in restitution and to serve three years' probation upon her release.Kocher had embezzled $376,924 from customers' accounts while she worked as a customer service supervisor at Jim Thorpe National Bank in Jim Thorpe.According to U.S. Attorney Peter Smith, Kocher was employed by Jim Thorpe National Bank from 1999 until May 2013.Kocher embezzled the funds by making unauthorized withdrawals from customers' CD and savings accounts between 2002 and 2013.Upon discovery of the activity, the bank reimbursed the victims for their losses.She stole $287,324 from two customers by making frequent unauthorized withdrawals from their CD and savings accounts between Sept. 28, 2010, and April 16, 2013, according to court documents.She also stole about $34,000 from another customer by making unauthorized withdrawals from the CD and savings accounts between April 6, 2010, and Dec. 21, 2010, court records say.The case was investigated by the Scranton office of the FBI and was prosecuted by Bruce Brandler, chief of the Criminal Division.The charges were filed against her Jan. 21, 2014, and she entered a guilty plea on March 10.Sentencing originally was scheduled June 11, 2014, but had been continued several times.
Kocher