Charlo woman accepts plea agreement, faces up to 30 years
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MISSOULA — A 52-year-old Charlo woman pled guilty last week to embezzling $676,000 from Whitefish Credit Union in Polson over a period of more than 10 years.
Kathleen Louise Sammons accepted a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in U.S. District Court in Missoula, and now faces possible sentences of up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
Sammons was initially reported as a missing person after she disappeared on the morning of June 24, 2010, shortly before auditors arrived at Whitefish Credit Union and discovered more than $675,000 missing from the vault. Her 2007 blue Chevy Suburban was later found parked outside of a vacant Pablo residence. Inside the vehicle, authorities found Sammons’ purse containing 11 credit cards and her driver’s license.
Sammons’ disappearance and the missing money led the Lake County Attorney’s Office to file a criminal affidavit. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office retracted Sammons’ missing person classification on June 29 after she had contacted her family several times, and the investigation was turned over to the FBI.
Sentencing was set for July 6, and Sammons released until then.
