A former bank manager and ex-city council member from Northern Kentucky has pleaded guilty to federal charges after admitting she stole more than $335,000 through a scheme involving customer accounts and local nonprofit organizations.
Who is Reagan France?
Reagan France, who is 36, worked as a branch manager at Home Savings Bank in Ludlow. She was first hired as a bank teller in 2015 and became a bank manager in 2023, as per Local 12.
She resigned at the end of 2024. Before her banking career made headlines, France also served two terms on the Bromley City Council, famously winning one election by just a single vote in 2020, as per WCPO.
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5 things to know about the case
Here is what we know about the case:
- On Thursday, France appeared in US District Court in Covington and pleaded guilty to federal charges of bank fraud, theft by bank employee and aggravated identity theft. Her sentencing hearing is set for January 13, 2027.
- As bank manager, France had access to customer accounts, including account numbers and names. A forensic examination found she embezzled money from more than 20 customer accounts from at least 2022 through 2024, as per Local 12.
- France used several ways to steal the money. According to WCPO, she made more than 100 unauthorized transactions. She moved money from customer accounts into accounts belonging to her or her family members. She also forged withdrawal slips to make it look like customers had taken the money themselves. In some cases, she stopped payment on escrow refund checks, issued new checks for smaller amounts and moved the remaining money to other accounts to cover the earlier thefts.
- Investigators found that France took $107,893.04 through transfers and another $109,821 through cash withdrawal. Including other losses, she admitted to misappropriating approximately $335,182.42 in total, as per Local 12. She also stole tens of thousands of dollars from two Ludlow nonprofit organizations where she volunteered.
- France agreed to pay at least $250,000 in restitution, offset by $173,712.81 already recovered, and agreed to a forfeiture judgment of $76,287.19. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory two-year prison sentence that must run consecutively to any other prison sentence given.
Here is what we know about the case:
- On Thursday, France appeared in US District Court in Covington and pleaded guilty to federal charges of bank fraud, theft by bank employee and aggravated identity theft. Her sentencing hearing is set for January 13, 2027.
- As bank manager, France had access to customer accounts, including account numbers and names. A forensic examination found she embezzled money from more than 20 customer accounts from at least 2022 through 2024, as per Local 12.
- France used several ways to steal the money. According to WCPO, she made more than 100 unauthorized transactions. She moved money from customer accounts into accounts belonging to her or her family members. She also forged withdrawal slips to make it look like customers had taken the money themselves. In some cases, she stopped payment on escrow refund checks, issued new checks for smaller amounts and moved the remaining money to other accounts to cover the earlier thefts.
- Investigators found that France took $107,893.04 through transfers and another $109,821 through cash withdrawal. Including other losses, she admitted to misappropriating approximately $335,182.42 in total, as per Local 12. She also stole tens of thousands of dollars from two Ludlow nonprofit organizations where she volunteered.
- France agreed to pay at least $250,000 in restitution, offset by $173,712.81 already recovered, and agreed to a forfeiture judgment of $76,287.19. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory two-year prison sentence that must run consecutively to any other prison sentence given.
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What officials said about the case
Kentucky Attorney General Coleman said, “When a bank employee paid to protect customers' money instead uses their position to steal from them, meaningful accountability is necessary,” as per WCPO.
Home Savings Bank president Stephanie Berry said, “We deeply regret that these incidents occurred and are fully committed to making things right for those affected.”