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Charges: Bank Employee Stole Money From ATMs

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A former bank teller is accused of stealing more than $250,000 over a five-year period from the ATM machines at the Hassan bank where she worked, according to charges filed Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court.

Kelly Jo Bistodeau, 51 of Albertville, was charged Tuesday with one felony count of theft by swindle.

According to a criminal complaint, Bistodeau allegedly stole $259,000 from the ATMs at the First National Bank of Elk River in Hassan between 1998 and 2003. The thefts allegedly occurred on multiple occasions while she was refilling ATM machines at the bank.

After she allegedly took money from the ATMs, she used different methods to hide the theft in the bank's records, like making false accounting entries into the general ledger.

if convicted, Bistodeau faces up to 20 years in prison and/or $100,000 in fines. She is not currently in custody, but will make a preliminary court appearance. The case is still under investigation by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.

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