Jerome Woman Pleads Guilty To Bank Fraud

Defendant Used Her Position as a Bank Teller to Obtain Money from Customer Account

BOISE – Azucena Ortega, 32, of Jerome, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to one count of bank fraud, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

According to the plea agreement, the defendant used her position as an employee of Wells Fargo Bank in Twin Falls, Idaho to access a customer's checking account, and order an ATM card, without the customer's permission. The defendant admitted receiving the ATM card at the bank, setting a PIN number, and raising the daily cash withdrawal limit on the account. The defendant also admitted using the ATM card on four occasions to withdraw cash from ATM machines in Twin Falls, Idaho, obtaining a total of $1,484.00 from the customer's account. The government is seeking forfeiture of assets and restitution for the victim of the fraud.

Bank fraud is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1,000,000, and up to five years of supervised release.

Sentencing is set for January 7, 2015, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill, at the federal courthouse in Boise.

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspector Service, and the Twin Falls Police Department.