Federal prosecutors say a former Pennsylvania bank manager stole more than $214,000 from a Citizens Bank branch and spent most of the money feeding a gambling habit, a scheme that has now landed him in federal prison.
Jonathan Lim, 42, of Wallingford, was sentenced this week to 18 months behind bars followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to bank fraud and bank embezzlement charges. Prosecutors said Lim took approximately $214,155 while serving as branch manager of the Citizens Bank location on West Lancaster Avenue in Downingtown.
Court records filed May 6 and seen by ReadWrite show U.S. District Judge Michael M. Baylson imposed concurrent 18-month prison terms on both counts. Lim was also ordered to repay Citizens Bank the full amount investigators said was stolen.
Authorities said Lim worked at the Citizens Bank “Thorndale branch” from June through November 2019. Along with managing the branch, he also performed teller duties during that period.
Investigators trace gambling losses to Pennsylvania bank ATM operations
Federal prosecutors said Lim became the branch ATM coordinator on July 30, 2019, putting him in charge of ATM cash operations and the weekly audits tied to balancing the machine.
Investigators alleged that Lim accessed the ATM roughly 59 times between July and November 2019. Authorities said he manipulated records to hide missing cash by falsifying settlement worksheets connected to ATM balancing procedures.
The indictment also alleged that Lim directed coworkers to sign paperwork “without telling those persons that the worksheets contained false information.” Prosecutors said those records were later used to conceal shortages connected to the ATM.
Federal authorities further alleged that Lim removed cash from the ATM and temporarily kept it inside a locked area of the bank vault that was under his control. Investigators said he later removed the money from the bank without documenting the withdrawals.
The theft was discovered shortly after Lim resigned from Citizens Bank in November 2019. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, an audit performed two days later revealed that the ATM was missing more than $178,000. Investigators also found an additional shortage of about $36,000 connected to Lim’s teller cash box.
Court documents stated that the ATM contained only about $13,435 during the audit, which was roughly $178,155 less than internal records showed should have been there.
Federal prosecutors said the total loss to Citizens Bank reached approximately $214,155. The sentencing order requires Lim to pay restitution in that same amount.
The Justice Department said Lim spent “the majority of the money gambling.”
As part of his supervised release conditions, Lim cannot work “in the banking industry or in any position of fiduciary responsibility,” according to court filings.
The FBI investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark B. Dubnoff handled the prosecution.
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