Former credit union worker indicted for embezzling money

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) - A Kansas woman was arraigned Monday on federal charges that connected her to a multi-year scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from her employer, Muddy River Credit Union.

The U.S. Department of Justice said 58-year-old Rita Hartman, of Atchison, was indicted on Aug. 23, 2023.

Hartman was the manager of Muddy River Credit Union from the early 1990s through January 2021. Court documents said she was appointed in 2013 to the Kansas Credit Union Council, which advises the Kansas Department of Credit Unions on issues and needs of credit unions.

As a manager she was responsible for all aspects of the credit union’s books and records. From at least 2010 through December 2020, court documents accused her of using her position to steal money from Muddy River. She allegedly did so by crediting fraudulent deposits and loan payments to her or her relatives’ accounts or by stealing cash deposits and concealing her conduct by altering books and records and falsifying information submitted to Muddy River’s regulators.

The FBI is investigating the case.