PITTSBURGH, PA — A resident of Rostraver, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 30 months in prison and one year of supervised release on her conviction of wire fraud. The announcement was made on Friday, December 1, 2023.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Patty Lynn Mavrakis, 65.
According to information presented to the court, Mavrakis, a former Branch Manager for Valley 1st Community Federal Credit Union, embezzled $399,230 from the credit union in September 2016. To hide the theft, she deliberately started a fire in the credit union’s safe, claiming that a faulty wire caused the fire and destroyed the missing currency. She also filed a fraudulent insurance claim for the missing money in the days following the fire.
Mavrakis made numerous false statements to law enforcement during their investigation of the embezzlement and fire. The court was informed that Mavrakis likely spent the embezzled funds on gambling, as she lost roughly four times her annual salary in the months after the theft and fire.
Assistant United States Attorney Lee J. Karl prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan praised the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for their investigation, which led to the successful prosecution of Mavrakis.
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