Christopher P. Smith of Lafayette was sentenced Monday to 41 months in prison for embezzling $231,000 from Chase bank customers.
Christopher P. Smith of Lafayette was sentenced Monday to 41 months in prison for embezzling $231,000 from Chase bank customers. Smith, 30, was also sentenced to five years supervised release following confinement and was ordered to pay restitution to Chase Bank in the amount of $228,350, according to U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley. The sentence was imposed by U. S. District Judge Rebecca F. Doherty.
Smith was charged in December 2009 for misapplication of bank funds. He was employed at JP Morgan Chase as a personal banker at Chase's Southpark Branch in Lafayette and was responsible for opening and managing customers' accounts. Smith admitted to making unauthorized withdrawals from customer accounts without the customers' knowledge or consent and using the money for his personal use. When customers called Smith to question the withdrawals, he would then make withdrawals from other customers' accounts and pay back some or all of the money taken. Smith made unauthorized withdrawals from September 2007 through August 2009, totaling $231,000.
All customer accounts have been reimbursed by the bank.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly P. Uebinger.