Embezzlement nets former BB&T employee jail time

Raleigh, N.C. — A federal judge on Monday sentenced a former employee of BB&T to prison for embezzlement. Melody Owens, of Fuquay-Varina, pleaded guilty in October 2008.

Owens worked at the bank from 1996 through January 2008, selling financial and insurance products and assisting clients in opening new accounts. During the course of her crime, Owens withdrew money from a cash box and covered her tracks by falsifying documents, John Stuart Bruce, acting U.S. attorney, said.

"The sentence in this case appropriately addresses a very serious and long-running fraud. The defendant violated both the trust of her employer and of her customers," Bruce said.

Investigators from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the FBI determined that Owens created more than 400 false documents to cover more than 200 transactions totaling $269,447.10.

Under the terms of her sentence, Owens is to serve 27 months in prison, followed by a three-year supervised release and make full restitution.