Linda Miller, a former Wells Fargo branch manager in Phoenix, has been arrested and charged with making fraudulent computer entries and altering documents to conceal more than $1.7 million in missing funds. Miller pled not guilty to four counts of computer tampering.
Investigators believe that during the period Miller served as assistant branch manager and later branch manager she allowed the cash balance in the bank’s vault to grow to unusually high levels, and then created false documentation to conceal a series of large withdrawals. The missing funds have not been located.
Miller’s initial pretrial conference is scheduled for July 16, 2012 before Commissioner Barbara Spencer.
The alleged scheme was uncovered by a joint investigation involving the FBI and Mesa Police Department.
“Thanks to the diligence and perseverance of our law enforcement partners, my prosecutors now have the opportunity to hold someone accountable for the damage caused to a member of our business community,” remarked Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. “We cannot allow the trust and confidence citizens place in our financial institutions to be undermined by this type of criminal behavior,” he added.
Miller is currently free after posting a $1,500 cash bond.