REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – A member of San Mateo CU who spent her would-be wedding night in jail admitted she stole $35,000 from her credit union to pay for the nuptials.
Briana Balancier, 26, couldn't come up with the cash to pay for the caterer, reception hall, DJ and photographer, so she stole it. In March she deposited a check for $35,000 drawn from her day care business Happy Little Hearts into her credit union account. Credit union officials said they couldn't give her the money until the check cleared with US Bank.
The same day Balancier wrote up a phony fax purporting to be from US Bank saying that the check was good, and sent it to the credit union. Over the next couple days she withdrew about $20,000 from her credit union account and used it to cover wedding expenses.
Not long after that the check bounced and credit union officials called police.
The bride was arrested on March 19, just two days before the wedding was set to take place.
Balancier can avoid jail time if she repays the funds.
