Former Credit Union Worker Sentenced in Loan Payment Theft Case

A former delinquent loans officer at St John’s Cooperative Credit Union (SJCCU) has been sentenced for misappropriating loan payments from credit union members.

Kerry Walker pleaded guilty to two counts of larceny last year and this week was ordered to pay $12,000 in fines and nearly $49,000 in restitution for stealing loan payments from credit union members between 2018 and 2020.

The court ordered Walker to pay $6,000 within 30 days for each count of larceny, with a default sentence of six months imprisonment if she fails to meet the payment deadline.

Additionally, she must pay restitution to her victims: $2,604.61 within six months to one victim and $46,154 within 12 months to another.

The case took on a particularly personal dimension as both victims had close family connections to Walker. One victim served as a teacher to one of Walker’s daughters and was godmother to another, while the second victim, a bus driver, was godfather to one of Walker’s daughters.

According to court documents, Walker abused her position at SJCCU by intercepting loan payments that members had entrusted her to process. The victims had given Walker money for their monthly loan installments, believing she would apply these payments to their accounts. Instead, she diverted portions of these funds for personal use.