FORMER REGIONS BANK EMPLOYEE INDICTED FOR
EMBEZZLEMENT AND AGGRAVATED IDENTITY THEFT

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Alice H. Martin, United States Attorney and Carmen S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announce the indictment today of CAROL CREEL, 47, of Athens, Alabama.  CREEL was indicted in United States District Court on charges of bank embezzlement and aggravated identity theft.  Creel was employed by Regions Bank in Florence, Alabama.

             “Bank fraud is not just a paper crime.  Real people lose real money; employees lose jobs,  and the financial markets lose confidence in the integrity of our banking system,” stated U.S. Attorney Alice H. Martin.

            According to the Indictment, CREEL misapplied and embezzled the approximate sum of $116,815 from Regions Bank and unlawfully used the identity of another person during the commission of the embezzlement.  The embezzlement occurred between April 2005 and July 2006.

            If convicted on the embezzlement charge, CREEL faces a maximum penalty of not more than 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000.  A conviction on aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. 

            This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Angela R. Debro on behalf of the U.S. Government.

            Members of the public are reminded that an indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.