←
→

Former Altoona City Clerk Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud

Posted On 11 Feb, 2015
OFFICE OF UNITED STATES ATTORNEY BARRY GRISSOM
DISTRICT OF KANSAS
WICHITA, KAN. – A former city clerk of Altoona, Kan., pleaded guilty Wednesday to bank fraud, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
 
Chrystal Scherbarth, 30, Altoona, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. In her plea, she admitted the crime occurred while she was employed as city clerk. She used her access to the city’s accounts at the First Neodesha Bank to commit the crime.
 
The city of Altoona suffered a total loss of more than $47,800. Scherbarth diverted money from the city by fraudulently increasing her own hourly pay, fraudulently paying herself for overtime, fraudulently crediting herself with unearned paid vacation and fraudulently crediting herself with unearned sick leave.
 
Sentencing is set for April 29. She faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million. Grissom commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith for their work on the case.