Coraopolis Woman Sentenced to 150 Months in Prison for Bank Fraud

A Coraopolis woman has been sentenced to 150 months in prision for defrauding the now-defunct Dwelling House Savings & Loan. 

Elexa Manos-Becton, 42, was convicted of bank fraud and money laundering after federal prosecutors said she defrauded the former Hill District-based bank of more than $2,466,018.86. 

The charges carried a maximum of 500 years in prison, a fine of more than $14 million or both. 

Manos-Benton opened a PayPal account associated with her Dwelling House Savings & Loan accounts, according to a statement from prosecutors. Using the PayPal account to initiate automated clearing house transactions, she significantly overdrew her Dwelling House account.

Manos-Becton taught others about the glitch in Dwelling House's bank procedures, allowing other non-sufficient automated clearing house transactions to be processed. 

Senior United States District Judge Alan N. Bloch said that Manos-Becton spent her lifetime "stealing" and said her effort to tell others about the banking glitch led to the demise of the 119-year-old institution. 

In 2009, the U.S. Office of Thrift Supervision closed Dwelling House Savings & Loan after determining that the institution could not recoup substantial financial losses. The venerable institution earned a reputation for serving low-income and minority clients in the Pittsburgh region.