by Mike Donoghue, Correspondent, Vermont Business Magazine A former branch manager for the Vermont VA Federal Credit Union in White River Junction has been indicted for charging more than $140,000 on a fraudulently obtained credit card, federal court records show.
Tracy Thibodeau, 46, of Windsor was named in the federal indictment for illegal conduct while employed at VVAFCU between 2015 and April 2022, U.S. District Court records show.
Thibodeau, formerly known as Tracy Hill, developed a scheme that involved the fraudulent procurement and use of a personal VVAFCU credit card between April 2019 and April 2022, the indictment said. She had been promoted to branch manager in 2016.
As part of the scheme, Thibodeau used the software to grant herself privileged statuses on her credit card account, court records maintain.
"Those privileged statuses removed dollar limits on her credit card balances, excused her from late fees and interest penalties on overdue balances, and eliminated requirements that she make minimum payments toward any unpaid balance," the indictment said.
Also as part of her scheme, Thibodeau manipulated VVAFCU's internal Cardholder Journal Reports to conceal from her supervisors her procurement and misuse of the credit card, court records show.
Between April 2019 and February 2021, Thibodeau used her fraudulently-obtained credit card to incur charges in excess of $140,000, the indictment said. By the time she was fired by VVAFCU on April 29, 2022 the balance on her credit card was more than $137,000, court records show.
Hartford Police received a complaint on May 2, 2022 about a possible fraud at the credit union, Lt. Tom Howell Jr. said. He said after some investigation the case was later referred to the U.S. Secret Service.
Along with the one-count indictment, the grand jury also issued a forfeiture notice to Thibodeau. It notes if she is convicted, Thibodeau will be required to forfeit any property constituting any proceeds obtained directly or indirectly from her criminal conduct, including at least $137,000.
Attempts to reach Thibodeau were unsuccessful. The court has appointed veteran defense lawyer Robert Katims to represent her. He said he was just getting into the case.
No date has been set for her arraignment in Burlington.
