The former teller, whose thefts, along with the thefts of her manager, caused the collapse of a Molokai credit union, was sentenced in U.S. District Court Wednesday to just over four years in prison.
Janell Purdy, 40, pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to embezzle
$1 million from the now-defunct First Hawaiian Homes Credit Union.
U.S. District Judge
Derrick K. Watson handed Purdy a 50-month prison term.
Watson sentenced
FHHCU’s former manager, Allenie Naeole, 55, last month to seven years in prison for conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. Naeole and Purdy were the FHHCU’s only permanent employees.
The government says Purdy stole $297,391.
Watson, however, ordered Purdy to share with Naeole the responsibility of repaying the National Credit Union Association and its insurer the $949,736 that was stolen during the 7-1/2 years of their conspiracy. He ordered Naeole to repay an additional $105,451 she stole before she and Purdy started the conspiracy in June 2008.
The government says the FBI was unable to find any assets to recover from either woman.
Purdy, however, started making $150 per month restitution payments before she was sentenced. Watson told her she negated any sentencing consideration of those payments when in 2017 she started leasing a new vehicle for $415 per month even though she knew a large restitution order was looming.
“What’s the excuse for that? Who does that?” Watson said.
Unlike Naeole, Purdy apologized in court to her family and the Molokai community.
“I’m sorry. Please forgive me,” Purdy said.
NCUA shut down
FHHCU in December 2015 after determining that the institution was insolvent. FHHCU had been in business since 1937.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Perlmutter said at the time of its closing, one-fifth of the Molokai community were members of FHHCU.
Molokai Community Federal Credit Union assumed FHHCU’s assets, member shares and most of its loans.
