Rohnert Park Woman Sentenced For Theft From Credit Union Members' Accounts

NORTH BAY, CA -- A Rohnert Park woman was sentenced in federal court in San Francisco on Wednesday to 33 months in prison for embezzling $250,000 from customers' accounts at the credit union where she worked.

Allison Bushart, 54, was charged on Nov. 23 with misappropriation and embezzlement of credit union funds and filing a false tax return, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. She pleaded guilty on Dec. 20 to
both counts.

Bushart processed credit union members' transactions, including cash withdrawals, at the Patelco Credit Union in Rohnert Park between May 2003 and early 2015. She acknowledged she began taking cash withdrawals from account holders without their knowledge no later than 2010, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

She filled out withdrawal slips for specific amounts, forged the account holder's signature and either took the cash home at the end of the day or deposited the money in her own or a relative's account,
prosecutors said.

Bushart also acknowledged she made the unauthorized withdrawals from accounts of at least 10 different individuals, some of whom were legally vulnerable because of their age or mental condition, prosecutors said.

She admitted embezzling more than $150,000, but U.S. District Court Judge Richard Seeborg concluded the amount was more than $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

A hearing is scheduled for May 2 to determine the amount of restitution Bushart will pay, and she will begin serving her prison sentence on May 26, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Bay City News contributed to this report/Image via Shutterstock