NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Matthew Gunther, 34, of 26 Cliff Street, New Rochelle, New York, was sentenced by Judge Anne Minihan on January 31, 2017 to one and a half to four and a half years in state prison on Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and multiple sentences of one to three years in state prison to run concurrent after being found guilty at a jury trial of one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class “C” Felony, three counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, class “D” Felonies, fifteen counts of Forgery in the Second Degree, class “D” Felonies, one count of Criminal Tax Fraud in the Fourth Degree, a class “E” Felony, and one count of Offering a False Instrument For Filing in the First Degree, a class “E” Felony.
From approximately December 13, 2012 through July 12, 2013, the defendant, a Personal Banker at the Chase Bank Branch located in Getty Square in Yonkers, stole $122,100 from a Chase customer’s account.
The victim came into the bank branch to deposit money from a Chase CD which had just matured. He asked that it be placed in a savings account.
The defendant was the one who set up the new account and knew that the victim/customer wasn’t expecting to use it on a day to day basis. The victim had another account at another bank he used for his daily living.
Using defendant’s own password and user ID he carried out numerous cash withdrawals at the bank counter. Bank documentation, along with video surveillance inside the bank taken at times the defendant was withdrawing the victim’s money shows, the victim was not present.
Once the victim set up the savings account, he did not return to the branch until the summer of 2013. He wanted to withdraw a large portion of his money only to learn of the thefts.
The defendant has a restitution judgement of $122,100 along with his prison sentence. In addition, the defendant failed to pay New York State Income Tax on the monies that he stole from the victim. The amount he owes New York State in tax is $9,336.
The defendant was remanded to the custody of the New York State Department of Corrections.
The investigation was conducted in conjunction with New York State Department of Taxation and Finance along with the cooperation of Chase Bank.
Assistant District Attorney Gwen Galef of the Economic Crimes Bureau prosecuted the case.