Polo Woman Sentenced for $414,000 Bank Theft

KANSAS CITY, MO—Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Polo, Missouri woman was sentenced in federal court today for embezzling more than $414,000 from Bank Northwest, where she was employed in Polo and Hamilton, Missouri.

Laurine K. Calvert, 56, of Polo, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 23 months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Calvert to pay restitution to Bank Northwest.

On Oct. 14, 2010, Calvert pleaded guilty to embezzling $414,124 from Bank Northwest. Calvert was employed by Bank Northwest in both Polo and Hamilton as a teller and bank loan secretary.

Calvert took money from five separate customer accounts from Feb. 10, 2003, to Feb. 8, 2010. She later created four fictitious loans, using part of the funds from these loans to replace the money she had taken from customer accounts. Calvert used the rest of the loan money for her personal benefit, giving some to family members and spending some during her monthly trips to gamble at Kansas City casinos.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel M. Nelson. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.