Midland City Woman Receives 15-Month Federal Prison Sentence for Embezzling Funds from Wiregrass Federal Credit Union

MONTGOMERY, AL—Becky J. Hughes, age 49, of Midland City, Alabama, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison following her March 25, 2009, guilty plea to a one-count felony information charging her with wilfully misapplying funds (embezzlement) of the Wiregrass Federal Credit Union, in Dothan, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 657, U.S. Attorney Leura G. Canary announced today. Hughes was also ordered to serve a term of supervised release of five years, and was ordered to pay restitution of $138,317.

According to the plea agreement and information, Hughes was employed by Wiregrass as a staff accountant and, subsequently, as chief financial officer. Beginning in approximately 2000, Hughes, without proper authorization from Wiregrass, opened several Wiregrass VISA credit card accounts in her name and in the name of relatives. In addition, in one case, Hughes, without authority, increased the credit limit on an account in her name from $5,000 to $50,000. Hughes used the credit card accounts for cash advances and purchases. At the time Wiregrass discovered Hughes's conduct in January 2008, the debt owed to Wiregrass based on the unauthorized credit cards was approximately $137,000.

Hughes will remain free on bail until September, at which time she will report to the institution designated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew O. Schiff.