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Wachovia employee sentenced in embezzlement

By Chris Dumond

Published: August 6, 2008

A former Wachovia employee was sentenced to three years and five months in prison Wednesday after earlier pleading guilty to stealing more than $200,000 from customer accounts.

Cynthia Taylor Carpenter, 47, of Rustburg pleaded guilty in February in U.S. District Court.

“To those I have wronged, know I am truly sorry,” Carpenter said Wednesday before being sentenced by Judge Norman Moon.

In addition to her prison sentence, she was ordered to pay $222,050 in restitution to Wachovia.

In an earlier interview, bank spokeswoman Christine Shaw said roughly a dozen victims had been compensated for the theft.

According to information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Roanoke, Carpenter stole money from customers from January 2003 until February 2006 while she worked at the Wachovia branch at 819 Village Highway.

Reader Reactions

Posted by ( NEWS BUFF ) on August 15, 2008 at 4:20 pm

I am shocked that Cindy has done what she did to her ex husband and his family she took their money anyone who trusted her enough to let her have axcess to their accounts she stole from. Her own son now that is about as low as they come his college money but she will pay for what she has done I’m sure I even think her ex lost his house because of all of this embezzelment mess. She should be more than ashamed for what she did to the people who trusted her. And why wouldn’t they? It was too easy to pull off so watch your money in the bank !!!!

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Posted by ( looksee ) on August 11, 2008 at 10:24 am

So does anyone really feel safe dealing with ...WATCHOVAYA) now?

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Posted by ( hawney1111 ) on August 11, 2008 at 8:39 am

i for one was shocked by what cindy did,i went to school with her,we were best friends.somthing must have happened to her to make her do this,she isnt the kind of person to do the things she did.my heart is broken for her victims and for her and her family.i know she is sorry for her actions,i just hope she can be forgiven in time.i pray for her victims,that they can find some kind of peace for the trust that was broken.

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Posted by ( Ureallydontknow ) on August 10, 2008 at 5:51 am

Its funny, you think you know someone and then they totally become someone different. She deserves what she got and more. Who didnt deserve it is all of the unsuspecting souls that she stole from, not to mention her parents. I feel for her parents for all that she has put them through, I just hope that what she has done will not put them in an early grave. From what I understand, she not only stole from elderly people, she stole from people that she has known for a long time. Shame shame shame on you Cindy!!!

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Posted by ( notol4violence ) on August 07, 2008 at 10:23 pm

It’s possible when people would call in and ask her to transfer money over the phone and was supposed to mail paperwork and never did, therein pocketing the money. What we can’t figure out is when people came 5 years from now to cash in their c.d. and there was no record of it what was she going to do then. What a bright idea? Of course if they didn’t catch all of what she stole then she could still be laughing all the way to the bank! No pun intended:)

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Posted by ( notol4violence ) on August 07, 2008 at 10:19 pm

Cindy, You smiled so nice in everyone’s face while you had a hand in their pockets. Shame on you. The sad thing is that you took advantage of elderly people who truely trusted you and for the ones that were so trusting and not thorough with their paperwork, they will never know whether they got all of the money you stole from them. I hope and pray that this time in the slammer you will agonize about what you have done. My grandparents were taken for this ride and with my grandmothers health being so on edge, it’s no telling how much time this stress has taken off of her life. You didn’t just steal money!!

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Posted by ( ALL ABOUT NEWS ) on August 07, 2008 at 12:28 pm

I don’t understand how it could have happened first off, then I can’t understand why she only got the amount of time that she did. There was also more money than that taken. Her family was taken advantage of also and they have not and will not get their money back. That is another crime in it’s self as far as I’m concerned. SHe should have been forced to pay that back as well as the banks money.

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Posted by ( I_have_an_opinion ) on August 07, 2008 at 8:30 am

Can anybody tell me how this is possible? Doesn’t a bank have extensive checks and balances to prevent this? Please tell me it is NOT based on the honor system.

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