A house cleaner has admitted to siphoning nearly $1.9 million from a couple’s bank account by forging hundreds of their checks.
Emily Roberts, 55, of Monessen forged 636 checks drawn on the couple’s PNC Bank joint account between January 2014 and March of this year, reports MoneyWise.
Roberts took blank checks from the shared checkbook in the home she cleaned, wrote them out to cash, often amounting to $3,000 and forged a signature.
She then deposited them into her own account, and PNC Bank honored each one by pulling money from the couple’s account.
By the time she was charged with bank fraud, the losses had climbed to $1,893,750.
Roberts pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud on October 2nd before Judge W. Scott Hardy in federal court in Pittsburgh.
Her sentencing is set for February 10th, 2027.
Bank fraud carries up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million or twice the gain from the offense.
She was charged under the federal bank fraud statute, which covers any scheme to defraud a federally insured financial institution, such as PNC Bank. The law can also apply when a person steals money belonging to a bank customer, provided the funds are held by the bank.
The FBI and North Strabane Township Police Department investigated the case that led to Roberts’ prosecution.
Art’s Cleaning, a cleaning company, recommends locking away checkbooks, keys, cash and jewelry before letting workers into a home.
