Jennifer Lamanna worked at a bank in Florida and stole $280,000 from the bank vault, trying to cover it up by falsifying transaction records.
asserted
Lamanna → work → records
She deposited some of the stolen cash into an account she controlled and disguised other transactions as legitimate to hide the missing money.
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she → deposit → money
She also filed a false cash-deposit report saying a customer deposited more than $160,000 when no such deposit was made.
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deposit → file → 160,000
Eventually, the scheme came under federal investigation, and the IRS helped uncover the wrongdoing.
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IRS → come → wrongdoing
Lamanna later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
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Lamanna → plead → prison
How the bank employee stole $280,000 from the vault
Lamanna started stealing money in 2020 while working at an insured financial institution in Venice, Florida, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
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Department → steal → Justice
During the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced staffing arrangements gave her sole access and control over a branch vault, creating an opportunity to remove cash without immediate detection.
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arrangements → reduce → detection
The DOJ explained that Lamanna initially used a contingency cash bag to take money out of the vault and remove it from the branch.
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Lamanna → explain → branch
She continued using this method until the bank discontinued the cash bag programme.
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bank → continue → programme
However, the change did not stop the theft.
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change → stop → theft
Lamanna continued taking money from the vault and deposited $255,362 into a bank account under her control.
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Lamanna → continue → control
The total amount she stole over several months reached $280,000, according to the IRS.
uncertain
she → steal → IRS
How did she disguise the missing money
The missing cash created a problem that Lamanna needed to conceal in the bank's records.
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Lamanna → disguise → records
According to the DOJ, she made several large withdrawals from a customer's account and followed them with matching deposits.
uncertain
she → accord → deposits
These transactions were intended to make the vault's cash balance appear correct, even though money had been stolen.
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money → intend → ?
In fact the customer had not made these deposits.
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customer → make → deposits
The transactions were designed to give the appearance that the missing cash was accounted for, helping Lamanna to hide the shortfall on the bank's books.
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Lamanna → design → books
The IRS later disclosed Lamanna also submitted fake Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs) to give the transactions a legitimate appearance.
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Lamanna → disclose → appearance
These reports are used by banks to report certain large cash transactions to authorities.
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reports → use → authorities
Lamanna filed false reports to make the activity look legitimate and to avoid suspicion about the missing money.
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activity → file → money
Another layer to the scheme was a fake deposit report
On June 8, 2023, Lamanna filed a report with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which is part of the US Treasury Department.
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which → file → Department
The report contained false information, adding another serious offence to the bank theft case.
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report → contain → case
The report claimed that a customer had deposited $160,100 in cash into his bank account.
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customer → claim → account
However, the deposit had not taken place.
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deposit → take → place
Lamanna knew the statement was false when she submitted it, the IRS said.
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IRS → know → it
The false filing showed how the scheme extended beyond the bank's internal records to information submitted to a federal agency.
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scheme → show → agency
Financial institutions use cash transaction reports to help authorities monitor certain large transactions.
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authorities → use → transactions
Submitting false information can undermine that process by making transactions that never occurred appear genuine.
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that → submit → process
In Lamanna's case, the fabricated report became part of the federal case against her.
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report → fabricate → her
IRS and FDIC helped investigate the case
The investigation was conducted jointly by the IRS Criminal Investigation division and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Office of Inspector General.
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investigation → help → General
The two agencies examined the case involving the stolen vault cash, the transactions used to conceal the shortage and the false report submitted to the government.
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agencies → examine → government
Their work led to federal criminal proceedings against Lamanna.
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work → lead → Lamanna
They confirm that the investigation resulted in charges involving both the embezzlement and the false statement.
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investigation → confirm → embezzlement
Lamanna was sentenced to 15 months in prison
Lamanna pleaded guilty on July 21, 2025, to embezzlement by a bank employee and making a false statement to a government agency.
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Lamanna → sentence → agency
The DOJ announced her guilty plea the following day.
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DOJ → announce → plea
As part of the case, Lamanna agreed to forfeit $280,000, representing the proceeds of her criminal conduct.
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Lamanna → agree → conduct
On November 14, 2025, the IRS announced that US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle had sentenced Lamanna to 15 months in federal prison.
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Mizelle → announce → prison
The sentence followed her admission of guilt in the two offences.
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sentence → follow → offences
The DOJ's announcement also outlined the maximum penalties associated with the charges before sentencing.
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announcement → outline → sentencing
Embezzlement by a bank employee carried a potential maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, while making a false statement to a federal agency carried a potential maximum of 5 years.
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making → carry → years
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
