A former Pennsylvania bank manager is accused of stealing more than $31,000 from the accounts of dead customers, according to authorities.
Jeri Mains, 43, was arrested after an internal investigation at First Commonwealth Bank in Derry allegedly uncovered a scheme involving accounts that belonged to deceased customers.
The Westmoreland District Attorney’s Office said the investigation found that Mains allegedly forged withdrawal slips to take money from six accounts connected to customers who had died.
Derry police allege Mains accessed the accounts without authorization between April 1 and May 1, taking approximately $31,770.
Authorities claim Mains forged the signatures of deceased account holders as well as bank employees. Prosecutors also allege she changed account statuses from restricted to active so she could access the money.
Investigators said Mains often used the forged withdrawal slips when no customers were present.
She is now facing charges of forgery, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, according to prosecutors.
It is not yet clear whether Mains has entered a plea or hired an attorney to speak on her behalf.
The allegations have shocked some longtime customers of the Derry bank branch.
“I’ve dealt here a long time,” customer Tiko Murin told CBS Pittsburgh. “People are friendly, [the] type of people you wouldn’t think would do anything out of the ordinary.”
Authorities have not released additional details about the deceased account holders or whether any money has been recovered.
