Dead Men Don’t Tell At St. Mary’s CU

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – A local man was sentenced to a suspended jail term for cashing thousands of dollars of a dead friend’s disability checks at St. Mary’s CU.

The sentence – two years in jail suspended for three years – came after Floyd Russell, 51, pleaded guilty to 25 counts. If Russell commits a crime during the three years, he will be jailed and ordered to serve the two years.

Russell was arrested in September 2009 after the credit union contacted police and told them a member had died but his disability checks were still being cashed.

Russell told police he cashed the checks to cover the cost of the man’s funeral.

The credit union member died in September 2008. Authorities say Russell forged and cashed the checks, totaling about $10,000, from October 2008 to May 2009. Authorities also alleged Russell forged a Registry document and sold his friend’s van for $15,000.

 

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
MORE FROM AMERICAN BANKER