Former TD Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing Government Funds

A former employee of TD Bank and her accomplice have pleaded guilty to committing identity theft and stealing government funds.

Tenisha Francis, a former financial services representative at the bank, collaborated with Ryan Francis, who has no relation to her, in a scheme to deposit stolen tax refund checks in fraudulent bank accounts, according to a complaint filed in a U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Between January 2012 and July 2013, Ryan Francis funneled Tenisha Francis stolen identification information and paid her $200 to $500 to open seven fraudulent accounts, according to the defendants' plea agreements. Stolen Treasury Department checks were then deposited into the accounts. Ryan Francis, his wife and his business, J.A. Kingz Automotive, withdrew funds from those accounts.

Tenisha Francis caused losses between $120,000 and $200,000, according to the agreement. The amount of losses for which Ryan Francis is responsible will be determined at his sentencing.

The defendants will be sentenced on Sept. 11, according to a Thursday press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. They each face a mandatory two-year prison sentence for aggravated identity theft and a maximum 10-year sentence for the theft of government funds.