Former Bank Manager Sentenced to Prison for Embezzlement

EUGENE, OR—On Wednesday, July 6, 2011, Shawn Jewett, age 32, of Medford, Oregon, was sentenced to serve eight months in federal prison for embezzling approximately $91,000 from U.S. Bank and U.S. Bank customers. Between May 2008 and November 2009, while working as the branch manager for U.S. Bank in Bend, Oregon, Jewett embezzled approximately $91,000 from U.S. Bank and U.S. Bank customers to pay personal expenses, including credit cards, a car loan, a personal loan, and a vacation. As part of the sentence, U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken also ordered Jewett to pay full restitution to his victims.

Jewett embezzled the money in the form of cashier’s checks, money orders, and cash. Typically, after embezzling money from one bank customer’s account, Jewett fraudulently took money from other bank customers’ accounts not only to replenish the money taken but to also pay additional personal expenses. To avoid detection by bank customers and others, Jewett changed the addresses to which the bank statements were mailed for the customers from whom he embezzled money. Jewett caused these bank statements to be mailed to the U.S. Bank branch he managed where he intercepted and concealed them.

U.S. Attorney Dwight C. Holton commented, “Such crimes are far too common and fueled by greed, pure and simple. Those who abuse their positions of trust and place individuals and our banks at risk, will be prosecuted and held accountable for their actions.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford.