Grand Rapids, Michigan —Kent County resident Jennifer Conroe, age 37, was sentenced today to twelve months imprisonment for misappropriating $32,000 in funds from the Rockford, Michigan branch of Comerica Bank, U.S. Attorney Charles R. Gross announced today. In addition to time in prison, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker ordered the defendant to repay the entire $32,000 loss, serve 3 years of supervised release following her discharge from prison, and perform 100 hours of community service.

Between December, 2006 and July, 2007, Ms. Conroe stole thousands of dollars from bank customers by forging their endorsements on checks, and by withdrawing money from certificates of deposit and retirement accounts without their approval. Ms. Conroe admitted that she had targeted elderly bank customers because she believed they were less likely to notice or report the theft of their savings. Judge Jonker indicated that his decision to impose the one-year sentence was motivated in part by a need to deter others from committing similar crimes, as well as a need to protect the elderly.

U.S. Attorney Gross lauded the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which investigated this case in conjunction. “When people work hard to save money for retirement, they should be able to trust that their savings are secure in a federally insured bank. When criminals take advantage of that trust, they will face significant consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Gross.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler.