The Free Press
MANKATO —
A former retail operations officer for the United Prairie Bank in Mankato pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to embezzling between $30,000 and $120,000 in customer accounts for her personal use.
Carolyn Faye Hampel, 65, of Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement by a bank officer during the hearing in St. Paul.
Hampel, who was charged April 6, entered her plea before United States District Court Judge Donovan W. Frank.
In her plea, Hampel admitted that from January of 2005 through August of 2011 she embezzled the bank funds from customers.
In addition, she admitted using the stolen funds for her personal use as well as for paying down a loan balance for a family member.
The charge includes a forfeiture allegation that would require Hampel to turn over any property acquired through proceeds that can be traced to money tied to the embezzlement charge.
The government, which insures the bank’s accounts through the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., also can force Hampel to forfeit other property and assets to cover the losses.
The judge will determine Hampel’s sentence at a future hearing that has yet to be set.
The case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Svendsen.
