United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

NEW BRITAIN WOMAN SENTENCED FOR MAKING AND POSSESSING FORGED SECURITIES

Kevin J. O'Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TERESA MORRIS, age 39, of New Britain, Connecticut, was sentenced today in New Haven for embezzling over $108,000 from her employer, CitiFinancial. On January 15, 2004, MORRIS pleaded guilty to making and possessing forged securities. Over the Government's objection, Senior United States District Judge Ellen B. Burns departed from the applicable sentencing guidelines range of 10 to 16 months of imprisonment and sentenced MORRIS to one day in prison and three years of supervised release, including a special condition of 10 months of home confinement. MORRIS was also ordered to make restitution in the amount of $93,864.

U.S. Attorney O'Connor explained that MORRIS was employed by CitiFinancial, an affiliate of Citigroup, as a Senior Customer Service Representative. She worked in CitiFinancial's Newington, Connecticut, office from about May 1999 to July 2002, and in its Southington, Connecticut, office from about July 2002 to December 2002.

From about March 2001 to November 2002, Morris misappropriated over $108,000 in funds from her employer, CitiFinancial. While she carried out the scheme in various ways, the execution of the scheme invariably included Morris' forging of checks written on CitiFinancial accounts and depositing them into a bank account which she controlled. In all, MORRIS forged 112 checks totaling $108,703.69.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric J. Glover.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov