Bank worker held in theft
An employee at a Williams bank is accused of looting more than $150,000 from the bank and a customer's account, police said Thursday.
Williams police arrested Jennifer Elaine Finks, 32, at the U.S. Bank at 780 E St., where the Maxwell resident worked as a teller supervisor. She was booked Wednesday at Colusa County Jail for investigation of embezzlement, then released Thursday.
U.S. Bank's security officials notified police of the alleged thefts on Tuesday, according to Police Chief Jim Saso, who said the crimes took place over two years.
Saso said Finks, who also had been an interim branch manager, forged withdrawals from a Sacramento account and cashed the customer's $97,000 certificate of deposit. Another $56,000 disappeared from the bank vault and ATM machine, usually about $2,000 a month.
According to Saso, Finks apparently concealed the losses by “force-balancing,” or entering money totals in her computer for which there was no actual cash in her drawer.
Police said the incidents came to light when the Sacramento customer learned of the closure of the account in Williams, then notified U.S. Bank investigators.
District Attorney John R. Poyner has referred the case to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento.
Appeal-Democrat reporter Howard Yune can be reached at 749-4708. You may e-mail him at hyune@appeal-democrat.com.
