Former Copiah Bank Employee Indicted on Federal Bank Fraud Charge

Lindsay Welch, age 33, of Harrisville, Mississippi, a former bookkeeper at Copiah Bank in Hazlehurst, was indicted on February 17th by a federal grand jury on one count of bank fraud, U.S. Attorney Donald R. Burkhalter and FBI Special Agent in Charge Daniel McMullen announced. If convicted, Welch faces up to 30 years in prison on the charges. According to the indictment, Welch utilized her position as bookkeeper from April 2008 through November 2009 to manipulate the bank's computer system in order to increase her home equity line of credit from $15,000.00 to $350,000.00 without obtaining permission or consent. She then proceeded to withdraw in excess of $250,000.00 from that line of credit into her personal accounts, and utilized that money to purchase, among other things, four different automobiles for herself and her family. Posted in: Internal Fraud