Woman pleads guilty to thefts from Charles City bank, bank customer

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A former Charles City bank employee charged with theft for allegedly stealing funds from a customer’s account and from the bank, has pleaded guilty in an agreement that could lead to the charges being wiped from her record.

Cassandra Marie Lane, age 34, of Charles City, was charged in January with first-degree theft for allegedly stealing $13,300 from a personal bank account at First Security Bank and Trust.

The charge said the money came from the account of a customer of the bank, identified in court documents only by initials. Lane was accused of taking the money between Oct. 21, 2016, and April 28, 2017, and putting the money in her husband’s savings or checking account.

Lane was also charged with second-degree theft for allegedly taking $3,988 from the bank’s internal accounts and placing that money into her husband’s checking account.

Lane filed a written guilty plea that was accepted in Floyd County District Court at a hearing Monday. Judge Chris Foy set sentencing for 10 a.m. Monday, May 14.

As part of the plea, the county attorney’s office recommends that Lane receive a deferred sentence on both charges, pay restitution to the bank, perform 40 hours of community service on each charge, be on supervised probation for five years, and pay various fees and charges.

A deferred sentence means that if Lane meets all the requirements of her sentence and probation, the charges will be dismissed and the case cleared from her record.

Part of the agreement would be that Lane repay $17,288 to First Security Bank and Trust.

The bank had said when the charges were filed that it had reimbursed its customer as soon as the theft had been discovered.

The guilty plea agreement also notes that the judge is not required to follow the sentencing recommendations.

The maximum penalty for first-degree theft is up to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. The maximum penalty for second-degree theft is up to five years in prison and up to a $7,500 fine.