SEATTLE – A teller at Watermark CU and his wife were charged yesterday with stealing more than $200,000 from an elderly credit union member they allegedly convinced to name them joint beneficiaries on her account.
The couple, Michael and Katie Lambard, helped the elderly member sell her home and move into an assisted-living facility, then convinced the member to transfer more than $270,000 from the sale of the home into a joint account at the credit union, where Michael Lambard worked as a teller. The couple then transferred more than $200,000 into their own account, according to court records.
The Lambards first met the victim, Margaret Martin, at church, where Martin hired Katie Lambard to be her driver.
Authorities were alerted to the case by a local car dealer after Katie Lambard purchased three cars in six months using credit and checks signed by Martin.
