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Press Release

Former Credit Union Employee Sentenced to Prison for Federal Bank Fraud Conviction

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico
Defendant Ordered to Pay $118,376.56 in Restitution

ALBUQUERQUE – Louisa Gabaldon, 44, of Belen, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to six months in prison followed by six months of home confinement with radio frequency monitoring for her bank fraud conviction.  Thereafter, Gabaldon will be on supervised release for five years.  Gabaldon also was ordered to pay $118,376.56 in restitution to the victims of her criminal conduct.

Gabaldon was indicted on Aug. 7, 2013, and charged with 12 counts of bank fraud.  The indictment alleged that from Jan. 2004 through July 2010, Gabaldon engaged in an illegal scheme to defraud her employer, the Belen Railroad Employees Credit Union (Credit Union) by making fraudulent withdrawal of funds from accounts belonging to the Credit Union’s customers.

On Oct. 21, 2014, Gabaldon pled guilty to Count 5 of the indictment charging her with fraudulently withdrawing $31,000.00 from a customer’s account on July 31, 2006.  The plea agreement, however, required that Gabaldon to pay $118,376.56 in restitution to the Credit Union to cover the losses associated with all 12 counts in the indictment as well as related losses suffered by the Credit Union.

In entering her guilty plea, Gabaldon admitted that, while employed by the Credit Union, she had loan approval which permitted her – when authorized by customers – to make withdrawals from customers’ accounts, transfer funds among their accounts, increase the amount of their loan accounts and open new loans in their names.  Gabaldon admitted that, without the knowledge or permission of Credit Union customers, she added amounts to customers’ existing loan accounts and opened new loans in their names and used the funds to pay for her own debts and to make a partial payment for the purchase of a home.  In order to conceal her fraudulent activity, Gabaldon moved funds among customers’ accounts to make it appear as if loans had been repaid or funds were replaced.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean J. Sullivan.

Updated July 23, 2015