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Bank manager stole money from customer’s accounts, then bought a motorcycle, feds say

While working as a bank branch manager in Missouri, Andrea Nicole Hopkins stole more than $175,000 from customer accounts, according to federal authorities.

She used that money to pay her debts, buy a motorcycle and pay for other personal living expenses, according to a Jan. 30 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Hopkins, 28, of Florissant, recently pleaded guilty to four counts of felony bank fraud, records show. In pleading guilty, she admitted she stole money from customers while working as a manager of a Commerce Bank branch in St. Louis.

The defense attorneys representing Hopkins did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on Jan. 31.

In her signed plea agreement, Hopkins said her scheme ran from about February 2020 through May 2021.

“She targeted elderly customers, knowing that some had a diminished capacity to understand their financial affairs,” authorities said, adding that she defrauded a 95-year-old customer, an 82-year-old and two 80-year-olds.

In total, authorities said Hopkins logged into 15 different Commerce Bank customer accounts and diverted their money. Some of the stolen funds were used to buy cashier’s checks, with some added to prepaid cards in the names of others, according to her plea agreement.

“She changed the address on some account statements, forged signatures and transferred funds among customers to try and hide the thefts,” officials said.

Hopkins diverted $328,273 from the customer accounts, but transferred $152,431 of it internally “to hide her theft,” authorities said. That diverted money was used to “reimburse” customers she already had stolen from, authorities said.

The remaining $175,842 was stolen by Hopkins, according to court records.

She also lied to other Commerce Bank employees about “customers who had reported fraudulent transactions,” according to the plea agreement.

In a statement to McClatchy News, Commerce Bank said “maintaining our customers’ account security and privacy is a top priority.”

“If we identify suspicious activity, we conduct a thorough internal investigation, take necessary corrective action, work with the customer and engage law enforcement, as necessary,” Darryl Collins, executive vice president with Commerce Bank, said in the statement. “We care about our customers and deeply value the trust they place in us.”

Hopkins’ sentencing is scheduled for May 8. She faces up to 30 years in prison and as much as a $1 million fine.

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