St. Vienna Man Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement Offense

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on July 16, 2009, SCOTT ANTHONY DUANE HARRIS, age, 30 of St.,Vienna, Illinois, plead guilty to a one count indictment charging him with Theft, Embezzlement, and Misapplication of Money by a Bank Employee.

According to a signed stipulation of facts, HARRIS admitted that he was employed by Regions Bank, between January of 2006 and April 8, 2008. He worked at the bank's Carbondale, Illinois, branch first and then moved to its Goreville, Illinois, branch in May of 2006, where he served as a branch manager. While at the Goreville branch he misapplied and embezzled $63,039.56 in funds intrusted to the care of the bank between October 2007, and April 8, 2008, when he was discharged.

HARRIS admitted that in October 2007, he created a false loan in the name of a bank customer. He took the proceeds of the loan, $40,000, and placed it into an account which he had set up for his own access. He then secured the loan, without authorization, by using funds from a certificate of deposit account which also belonged to the same relative.

In or about January of 2008, Harris paid off the loan by transferring money, without authorization or consent, from another bank customer's certificate of deposit accounts. He then repeatedly, from January to April of 2008, converted money from other certificate of deposit accounts. HARRIS told agents from the FBI that he did this to pay off bills and other obligations he had.

HARRIS faces a sentence of not more than 30 years imprisonment, $1,000,000 fine, restitution, and up to five years supervised release following any period of imprisonment. His sentencing date has been set for October 19, 2009, at 1:30 p.m. in United States District Court at Benton, Illinois.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael C. Carr.