An Arkansas bank worker says she was only “borrowing” money—after allegedly stealing over $241,000 from customer accounts.
Heather Pankey, 45, was arrested Wednesday and now faces multiple charges, including theft of property, forgery, financial identity fraud, and computer fraud. She worked at the First National Bank of Commerce in Pocahontas, where authorities say the scheme took place.
The case broke open on March 20 when suspicious activity was flagged on several accounts, local station KAIT-8 News reports. According to the arrest affidavit, “The initial red flag appeared when a transaction was initiated on a deceased customer’s account and failed to post.”
Investigators traced the transaction back to login credentials assigned to Pankey. From there, the allegations grew.
According to police, Pankey transferred funds from customer accounts into a joint account she shared with her grandmother. The affidavit says she made unauthorized withdrawals from at least eight accounts.
The total amount taken? Reportedly more than $241,900.
Police say she shuffled money between accounts to cover her tracks. “The movement of these funds was part of a pattern of behavior in which [Pankey] transferred money from one customer’s account to another to conceal prior unauthorized withdrawals,” the affidavit states.
Pankey didn’t deny taking the money—but says she had a different view of what she was doing.
“I borrowed money from a couple of customers that I knew wouldn’t need the money at the time,” she wrote in a court statement.
She’s now being held at the Randolph County Detention Center. The charges she faces range from Class B to Class D felonies.
