Illinois Woman Admits Stealing $439,000 From Bank

ST. LOUIS – A former bank branch manager from Morrisonville, Illinois admitted on Wednesday that she’d embezzled about $439,000 from her employer.

Samantha J. Cherry, 35, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White to one felony count of theft or embezzlement by a bank officer. 

Cherry admitted that between Jan. 1, 2021 and March 18, 2022, while a manager at a UMB Bank branch in St. Louis, she took cash directly from the vault and moved currency from other cash supplies into her cash drawer totals.  

On March 18, 2022, Cherry told co-workers that she stole the money and gave it to her boyfriend, who she said had recently passed away.  

Cherry is scheduled to be sentenced June 6. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both, and she will be ordered to repay the money. 

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Roy is prosecuting the case.