A former bank teller at PNC Bank in Sudlersville, MD was sentenced in the Circuit Court for Queen Anne’s County to five years in prison with all but 6 months of active incarceration suspended, which will served at the Queen Anne’s County Detention Center, for stealing $3,700.00 from two account holders.

In March of 2016 a victim had learned that $2,700 had been withdrawn from his PNC Bank Account without his knowledge or approval.  He reported the matter to PNC Bank who subsequently conducted a joint investigation with the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office.  The investigation revealed that on March 17, 2016 Vickie Cunningham, a bank teller at the Sudlersville Branch, was working at the drive thru window when she processed a withdrawal slip from the victim’s account in the amount of $2,700.  PNC Bank’s internal computer records and logs also showed that Ms. Cunningham then processed another withdrawal slip, this time from a second victim’s account, in the amount of $1,000.  Surveillance cameras showed that neither of the account holders were present at the bank when these withdrawals were processed.  Both victims later advised that they did not complete any withdraws from their accounts on the day in question and identified the signatures on the withdrawal slips as forged signatures.  Investigators later discovered that Ms. Cunningham deposited $3,700 into her personal banking account the next day, March 18, 2016.

Ms. Cunningham was then criminally charged with the thefts and was convicted of Felony Theft Scheme between $1,000 to under $10,000 on January 13, 2017 in the Circuit Court.  Sentencing was deferred until March 14, 2017 to allow time for a pre-sentence investigation to be conducted. Following her release from jail she will be placed on 36 months of supervised probation and restitution to PNC Bank in the amount of $3,700 was ordered as part of that probation.  The Bank reimbursed both victims the money that had been withdrawn from their account as a result of this criminal act.

This case was prosecuted by Michael “Mick” Cuches, Deputy State’s Attorney.  Mr. Cuches added that bank tellers are entrusted with our hard earned money and banks are supposed to be a place of safe keeping for our money.  When the trust a banking customer has with its bank is broken, the responsible party needs to serve time in jail, period.