Richland credit union employee admits to stealing thousands in cash from ATM
A former HAPO employee admitted to stealing thousands of dollars from a mobile ATM used at community events.
But exactly how much Meaghan Brooks, 42, stole between July 2021 and January 2022 is being debated.
Brooks pleaded guilty on Wednesday in Benton County Superior Court to first-degree theft, with the aggravating factor of stealing more than what is normal for the crime.
Her defense attorney, Nicholas D. Jones, said she will commit to returning $20,000, but bank officials believe $75,000 went missing from the mobile ATM she was responsible for.
Since Brooks doesn’t have any criminal history, her charge would normally carry a sentencing range of up to 90 days in jail.
But Deputy Prosecutor Tyler Grandgeorge and Jones agreed to recommend a four-month sentence. She would be able to go to her job while serving her sentence. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 20.
Brooks worked for the credit union as a mobile branch financial service specialist for about three years. She was responsible for taking the mobile ATM to events, and refilling it with cash.
According to a Tri-Cities Journal of Business profile, Brooks helped found the program which was designed to be a hybrid of community relations and banking.
It allowed the credit union to be involved in community events, according to the profile.
While she was part of the program, officials say she made seven questionable transfers over the course of seven months. The amounts ranged between $6,000 and $20,000.
She allegedly told officials that she had recently suffered “insurmountable financial problems” and had planned to repay the money.
Internal Audit
Richland police were called to the Williams Boulevard branch of the credit union in January 2022 after an internal audit showed the mobile ATM was supposed to be holding $76,000, according to court documents.
Since it was more than the machine could physically hold, the vice president of branch management decided to look closer and discovered there weren’t any logged transactions since Oct. 23, 2021.
When they investigated further, they learned the power cables had been disconnected. That made the machine look like it was working, but it couldn’t process any transactions.
Staff members reported that Brooks would reload the internal cash storage in the machine by herself, a violation of the credit union’s policy.
That gave her access to the cash without triggering the machine’s record-keeping systems.
“The defendant’s supervisor would later note that the defendant had grown increasingly possessive of the ATM at issue and repeatedly avoided allowing him to complete routine cash balance checks, by having other staff members complete them instead,” according to charging documents.
The vice president identified seven dates between July and January when funds had been requested.
Brooks was told about the internal investigation on Jan. 28. Three days later she turned in her resignation letter, which detailed her money problems and said she had “irrationally turned to a solution, that in hindsight, was a poor decision.”
When her direct supervisor talked to her about the resignation, she admitted to the theft, according to court documents.
“The defendant was visibly upset and emotional during their conversation and staff ultimately escorted the defendant to a nearby mental health center,” according to court records.
It’s unclear if she has repaid any of the money.
