Former Credit Union CEO Pleads Guilty to Embezzling, Failure to File Taxes

PITTSBURGH, PA - A Beaver County resident pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of embezzlement from a federal credit union and willful failure to file tax returns, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.

Stacey Shaw, 47, of Industry, PA pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Shaw was the President and CEO of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 712 Federal Credit Union, and beginning in May 2017 she opened six credit cards in her name without getting approval from the Board of Directors. Over the course of approximately three years, and without authorization, Shaw raised the credit limits on her credit cards approximately 138 times, using the available credit to make personal purchases. When her conduct was discovered, the six credit cards had a total outstanding balance of approximately $2.1 million, all of which resulted in a loss to the credit union. Ultimately, the loss was so profound, the credit union went out of business. The Court was further advised that Shaw had significant income for the years 2018 and 2019, but she willfully failed to file tax returns for those years.

Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for August 10, 2021 at 9:30 A.M. The law provides for a total sentence of 31 years in prison, a fine of $1,100,000.00, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Pending sentencing, the court released Shaw on a $50,000 bond.

Assistant United States Attorney Lee J. Karl is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Shaw.