Former Bartlesville Bank Employee Faces Federal Embezzlement Charges

A former Bartlesville bank employee, charged with embezzling $147,000 from the customers of Osage Federal Bank, was arraigned this week in Tulsa federal court.

Patricia Swearingin, 66, was initially charged in Washington County in January 2011 after the son of a victim contacted the bank about money missing from a certificate of deposit his mother had.

Bartlesville's Examiner Enterprise reports those charges were dismissed in April 2012 according federal prosecutors because of a subpoena records from an Indian casino.

The U.S. Attorney's Office filed charges against Swearingin in October.

An affidavit filed in Washington County in 2011 stated bank officials told investigators Swearingin had embezzled somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000 from at least four customers at Osage Bank in 2010.

In the affidavit, Swearingin told police that all the money was won at a casino.