The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana has announced that Edward Arthur Nurse, 35, a former employee of Park Side Credit Union in Missoula, pleaded guilty to embezzling approximately $390,000 from the credit union’s vault. Nurse’s fraudulent activities involved replacing the stolen funds with counterfeit cash.
Details of the Fraud
Court documents reveal that Nurse executed the fraud scheme from July 2023 to June 2024. He swapped real cash with counterfeit currency purchased from a supplier specializing in prop money for films and entertainment. In June 2024, another employee discovered that $340,000 in the credit union vault had been replaced with counterfeit bills, prompting further investigation.
Identifying the Suspect
Financial records pointed to Nurse as a suspect due to his role in managing the vault’s cash flow. Bank statements indicated that Nurse had deposited $117,751 into his personal account over seven months, with each deposit exceeding $10,000.
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Casino Spending Raises Red Flags
Investigators found that Nurse had spent over $56,000 in cash at a local casino between March and May 2024, with only about $8,000 cashed out. Despite claiming to an FBI agent that he had made no significant purchases or deposits apart from a trip to Las Vegas, authorities uncovered evidence of Nurse purchasing $410,000 in fake currency during the first half of 2024. This counterfeit money was delivered to a post office box registered in his name.
Counterfeit Bills Traced Back to Nurse
In July 2024, the Federal Reserve received around $50,000 in counterfeit bills from the credit union, which were traced back to the same prop money supplier utilized by Nurse.
Potential Sentencing
Nurse faces serious legal consequences, including a maximum of 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine, and five years of supervised release, as stated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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