Former bank teller sentenced in embezzling case

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  CHESHIRE — A Naugatuck woman will serve two years in prison after pleading guilty to embezzling $253,000 from customers of the bank she worked for.

Sarah Kwasinskas, 31, was sentenced last week to 12 years, suspended after two years of prison and five years of probation, according to court records.

Kwasinskas was a teller supervisor at the Naugatuck Valley Savings and Loan branch at 1966 Highland Ave. in 2012 when she was charged with first-degree larceny. A three-month investigation by Cheshire police and bank officers revealed Kwasinskas had made 77 withdrawals over a nearly one-year period totaling $253,717. The money came from certificate of deposit accounts from 17 different people, including Kwasinskas’s own grandmother.

Kwasinskas told police that her troubles began after the birth of her daughter in 2010. She said she gave birth by Caesarean section and became addicted to painkillers. She told police she began buying pain pills from dealers on the streets in Waterbury.

Bank audits turned over to police showed withdrawals began on Nov. 15, 2010, and continued until Oct. 24, 2011.

Bank records showed deposits into the customers’ accounts and then withdrawals of the same amounts without accompanying paperwork. The cash from the withdrawals went into Kwasinskas’s pocket, police said.

She told police that she made withdrawals approximately every two weeks, and by her estimation took much less money, about $60,000 to $80,000. She also admitted that she had not kept track of the amounts she took. She told police she had planned to put the money back.

Naugatuck Valley Savings and Loan made restitution to its customers. Kwasinskas was fired soon after bank officials discovered the money was missing.

Kwasinskas was sentenced in Meriden District Court on June 10. After her sentencing she was taken into custody to begin her sentence. Department of Correction records show she is serving her sentence at York Correctional Institution with a release date of June 9, 2015.