Characterized as the older, wiser partner — and the one who wouldn’t confess — in a $330,000 credit union fraud, 43-year-old Robert Tam of North Charleston was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison Friday.
In delivering the sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Sol Blatt Jr. pointed to Tam’s 23-year career at the S.C. Federal Credit Union that ended with more than three years of withdrawing cash from accounts that belonged to a dead woman, deployed military personnel and others.
“We just can’t have people who work in banks, financial institutions, credit unions — whatever the case may be — being involved in schemes that take people’s money,” Blatt said. “You had ample time, Mr. Tam, to go home every night and think about what you’re involved in, what you’ve been doing.”
As part of his sentence, Tam, a former risk management analyst, agreed to repay nearly $113,000. Prosecutors dropped another charge of aggravated identity theft, which carried a mandatory minimum two-year sentence.
Blatt sentenced Tam’s co-defendant, former account manager James Nicklous Kizer, of Dorchester, to one year and four months in prison in November. Kizer agreed to repay about $146,000.
Tam’s mother, fiancee, grown son and two friends spoke or offered letters on his behalf at Friday’s hearing.
One friend shared how Tam helped him cope with his parents’ deaths, because Tam’s father and sister had died in a car accident when Tam was 2 years old. Tam’s fiancee described how he cares for her son as his own and how she needs his help as the little boy undergoes surgery to remove a third lung.
Tam’s attorney, Frank Cornely, made a case for a lesser punishment for his client, since Tam provided information to investigators showing that three other people had participated in the fraud.
Cornely also noted $50,000 discovered in a safe deposit box owned by Kizer, “who doesn’t make that in two years,” and that Tam never handled the ATM cards used to embezzle the money.
Addressing the court, Tam said he would attend college or join the military reserves if given the chance.
“I apologize for taking up the court’s time, and I deeply regret my decision,” he said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rhett DeHart pointed out that Tam declined to cooperate with authorities until after Kizer confessed and implicated him. DeHart also said that the information Tam provided about the three other people did not lead to any additional arrests.
The prosecutor noted that Tam, more than 10 years older than Kizer, initiated the fraud and that the men proceeded to make hundreds upon hundreds of withdrawals.
The S.C. Federal Credit Union’s chief financial officer, Joseph Grech, spoke about how Tam’s conduct violated the trust of other employees, not to mention customers.
“This is the purpose of having financial institutions,” Grech said. “We stopped, long ago, burying our money in the backyard or putting it under the mattress for a good reason.”
Article source: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/jan/15/tam-gets-2-12-years-in-fraud/
Category: Identity Theft Watch