NEWS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS

A. COURTNEY COX, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

Nine Executive Drive, Fairview Heights, Illinois 62208, Telephone (618) 628-3700

For Immediate Release AUGUST 21, 2009

FORMER BANK OFFICER PLEADS GUILTY TO BANK FRAUD

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on August 21, 2009, MICHELLE KNEBEL, age 38, of Pocahontas, Illinois, pled guilty to an indictment charging her with one count of Bank Fraud. The offense carries a statutory range of punishment of up to thirty (30) years imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, five (5) years supervised release, and mandatory restitution. Sentencing has been scheduled for December 4, 2009.

According to information made public at the time of the plea, MICHELLE KNEBEL was previously employed as a Vice-President and Regional Deposit Supervisor of First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust. As part of the plea, she admitted to fraudulently using the bank’s computerized banking software to unlawfully transfer funds to her personal account from 2002 through June of 2008, causing a loss of approximately $174,000. As part of the plea, KNEBEL admitted to unlawfully taking funds from an account for the Highland School Charitable Foundation and from individual account holders. The bank has replenished the money to the account holders’ accounts and therefore no bank customers have sustained a monetary loss.

The successful prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of the case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Norman R. Smith.