Vancleave Woman Pleads Guilty to Credit Union Theft

Gulfport, Miss. – Merrideth Christina McMillian, 46, of Vancleave, Mississippi, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to theft from a credit union, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

While employed as the vice president of Singing River Federal Credit Union’s Moss Point branch, McMillian stole more than $350,000 from the credit union. The fraud was discovered after an audit in August 2018 showed suspicious transactions.

McMillian carried out the fraudulent scheme by going into the bank’s computer system and releasing collateral that was used for other loans. Once the collateral was released, she used that collateral to borrow money. Agents also uncovered that in 2017, McMillian used a customer’s information, without her consent, to take out several unsecured loans. The loans ranged from $5,000.00 to $60,000.00. On another occasion, McMillian used a friend’s name and a customer’s money market account information to take out a fraudulent loan of $47,500. In total, McMillian stole more than $350,000.00.

McMillian will be sentenced on June 24, 2019, by Judge Ozerden and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000.00 fine.

The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathlyn R. Van Buskirk.