A 38-year-old former credit union employee in Hilo is going to federal prison for two years for stealing more than $300,000.

Melody Camba pleaded guilty in September to embezzling $308,696 from the Independent Employers Group Federal Credit Union.

U.S. District Senior Judge Helen Gillmor handed down the two-year sentence Wednesday and gave Camba until after the holidays to turn herself in. Gillmor also ordered Camba to repay the money she stole.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Wallenstein told Gillmor that Camba was the person responsible for recording all transactions in IEG’s ledger. He said Camba stole the money between January 2014 and November 2015 by writing 108 unauthorized checks.

HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union Senior Vice President Barbara Carvalho told Gillmor that auditors discovered the theft during IEG’s merger with HawaiiUSA. She said IEG’s insurer refused to cover the loss because Camba remained employed during the audit. Carvalho said while no member accounts were affected, the company was not able to make contributions to employees’ IRA accounts.

Gillmor noted that when the auditors discovered inconsistencies in IEG’s books, Camba asked for time to respond to their inquiries, then she deleted entries in an attempt to cover up her crime.

Camba said she wants to apologize to her co-workers and re-earn their trust.

Assistant Federal Public Defender Shanlyn Park told Gillmor that Camba confessed her crimes to IEG, her employer for nearly 20 years. She said Camba stole the money after her husband lost his job, became addicted to drugs, ruined the family’s finances and cheated on his wife. She said Camba was depressed and suicidal but is now getting counseling and has separated from her husband.