Former RBC employee charged with fraud and theft

RCMP have charged a former employee of a Hinton bank with fraud and theft, after allegations arose that she defrauded more than $1 million from the bank over six years.

Police said Michelle Sparrow, 42, worked at the Royal Bank of Canada in Hinton – and between May 2001 and August 2007, it’s believed she defrauded the bank of more than $1.1 million.

The criminal investigation by the RCMP Commercial Crime Unit in Edmonton began in 2008 – it’s alleged she took the money through a sophisticated system that involved getting credit, and taking funds from existing and fake bank clients.

Sparrow was charged with three counts of fraud over $5000 and one count of theft over $5000 on Feb. 28.

She has been scheduled to appear in a Hinton courtroom on April 3.