ST. LOUIS – A bank branch manager from Florissant, Missouri appeared in court Thursday to answer charges accusing her of stealing $175,000 from elderly customers.
Andrea Nicole Hopkins, 28, was indicted September 7 on four felony counts of bank fraud. She pleaded not guilty Thursday.
Hopkins’ indictment alleges that from Feb. 20, 2020 to May 25, 2021, while manager of the Commerce Bank branch on Natural Bridge Avenue in St. Louis, she devised a scheme to divert money from numerous customer accounts for her own use.
Hopkins targeted elderly customers, including two 80-year-olds, one 95-year-old and one 82-year-old, the indictment says. She logged into customer accounts and transferred funds out, the indictment says, sometimes obtaining cashier’s checks or prepaid cards. She changed the address on some account statements, forged customer signatures and transferred funds among customers to try and hide the thefts, the indictment says.
In all, Hopkins fraudulently diverted $328,273 from customer accounts, but $152,431 of that she transferred internally among customers to hide her theft, the indictment says.
Each bank fraud count is punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Bateman is prosecuting the case.