Former Citizens Bank Branch Manager Facing Federal Fraud Charges

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Allegheny County has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of bank fraud, access device fraud and bank officer embezzlement, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

The six-count indictment, returned on Nov. 18, named Tara Lynn Petrucci, 36, of Gibsonia, PA, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment, Petrucci, a former branch manager at the Citizens Bank in Bellevue, Pa., unlawfully obtained Citizens Bank debit cards inadvertently left by customers who used the Bellevue Citizens Bank ATM, used the customer debit cards to make unauthorized purchases of merchandise at retailers such as the Walmart store in Cranberry Township, Pa. and at other retailers. Petrucci also identified Citizens Bank customers who did not regularly manage their accounts, mainly older-aged account holders, and stole funds from their accounts with forged withdrawal slips.

The law provides for a total sentence of 100 years in prison, and a fine of $3,000,000.00. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.