Press Release: Christopher P. Smith, 30, of Lafayette, La., was sentenced today to 41 months in prison for embezzling $231,000.00 from Chase bank customers, United States Attorney
Stephanie A. Finley announced. Mr. Smith was also sentenced to five years supervised release
following confinement and was ordered to pay restitution to Chase Bank in the amount of $228,350.60.
The sentence was imposed by U. S. District Judge Rebecca F. Doherty.
Smith was charged in December 2009, for misapplication of bank funds. The defendant was
employed at JP Morgan Chase Bank (Chase Bank) as a personal banker at Chase Bank's Southpark
Branch in Lafayette, La., and was responsible for opening and managing customers' accounts. Smith
admitted to making unauthorized withdrawals from customer accounts without the customer's
knowledge or consent and using the money for his personal use. When customers called Smith to
question the withdrawals, the defendant would then make withdrawals from other customers' accounts
and pay back some or all of the money taken. Smith made unauthorized withdrawals from September
2007 through August 2009, which totaled $231,000.00. All customer accounts have been reimbursed
by the bank.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by
Assistant United States Attorney Kelly P. Uebinger

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