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A Tell City man who stole thousands of dollars through his job at an Evansville bank has been sentenced to federal prison and must pay almost $160,000 to his former employer.
U.S. District Judge Richard Young sentenced Dekoda Clark, 32, to 2.5 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to bank theft and access device fraud.
Clark must also pay $158,208.53 in restitution to the bank he defrauded, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Indiana’s Southern District announced in a news release.
According to court documents, between January 2023 and March 2024, Dekoda Clark was employed as a relationship banker at a bank branch in Evansville.
During this time, Clark exploited his position to steal approximately $158,208.53 from customer accounts by making unauthorized cash withdrawals and issuing fraudulent debit cards.
Leveraging his access, Clark created debit cards linked to the checking accounts of five individuals and two businesses without their knowledge or consent.
He then used these cards to make 17 purchases at various retailers, including Dicks Sporting Goods, Guitar Center, and Best Buy. Several of the purchases were for high-value technology items, including three Apple iPads, a MacBook Pro, an Apple Watch Ultra, two large televisions, a Lenovo gaming laptop, memory cards, a DJI Mini Drone, and an Xbox game drive.
One of the transactions was for a $2,000 deposit into Clark’s account with Draft Kings, an online sports betting platform. These fraudulent purchases totaled $15,708.53.
Clark also withdrew a total of $142,500 as cash from the checking accounts of three individuals without their knowledge or consent.
“Bank employees are entrusted with safeguarding their customers’ hard-earned money, not exploiting that trust for personal gain,” said Tom Wheeler, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, in a news release. “Clark not only harmed individual victims but also undermined confidence in the financial system.”
The U.S. Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Evansville Police Department investigated this case.
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