Meigs woman sentenced in bank theft case

Defendant claimed to have found bag containing more than $80,000 in her driveway

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Bobbie A. Holter, 53, of Racine, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 12 months in prison and six months of home confinement for theft by a bank employee.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence handed down today by Chief U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.

According to court documents, Holter was an employee of The Citizens Bank of Logan in Athens, Ohio for approximately 10 years until her termination in February 2014. Holter served as Branch Manager and Teller Supervisor at the Walmart and Stimson Avenue branches.

A surprise audit was performed at the Walmart branch after a discrepancy in the ATM was discovered by a bank operations specialist. The audit showed that reports filed by Holter in the normal course of her duties prior to the audit did not match the amount of $20 bills dispensed by the ATM for various days.

Security footage for those days depicted Holter coming into the bank alone before the branch opened, removing the cash cassette from the ATM and then replacing it. Surveillance showed Holter conducting at least 24 such exchanges – each time alone, in the dark and before bank hours.

In total, a more thorough audit discovered 60 cash shortages totaling $318,400.

When she was interviewed by bank officials, Holter initially denied taking any money, but eventually said she was threatened and coerced into taking the money by a former supervisor who had sexually harassed and choked her. Further investigation by the FBI found no evidence to support this claim.

One week after being interviewed, Holter contacted bank officials and told them she found a bag of money at the end of her driveway. She met with the officials and turned over a bag containing $81,360 in $20 bills.

FBI forensic accountants conducted a financial analysis of Holter’s finances, taking into account all known sources of funds and known use of funds and determined her spending exceeded her income by nearly $150,000 for the period of time they examined.

Holter used money orders totaling nearly $43,000 to pay off her mortgage and deposited money orders into her bank accounts reportedly from the sale of puppies to individuals around the country. Research on the addresses of 15 of the puppy sales money orders revealed that 14 contained fictional addresses.

Holter pleaded guilty to one count of theft by a bank officer in April 2017. As part of her plea agreement, she has agreed to pay full restitution.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the bank officers and the FBI, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan J.C. Grey, who is representing the United States in this case.