St. Charles banker charged with theft, forgery, financial exploitation of elderly man
A former branch manager of a St. Charles bank has been charged with financially exploiting an elderly person, forgery and theft, police said Wednesday.
Lynn A. Pranga of St. Charles turned herself in to St. Charles police Tuesday evening, posted $3,000 bail and was released. She is due in court at 9 a.m. Aug. 8. According to a complaint filed last week in Kane County circuit court, between June 11, 2009, and April 26, 2011, Pranga, “while standing in a position of trust and confidence with (the victim),” financially exploited an 81-year-old man by “knowingly” obtaining control over more than $5,000 of his money in an account at MB Financial Bank, “with the intent to permanently deprive him of possession” of the money.
Pranga declined to comment.
“She denies the charges against her,” her attorney, Ken Johnson, said Wednesday.
According to St. Charles police, officials with the St. Charles branch of MB Financial Bank, 2607 W. Lincoln Hwy., reported Jan. 11, 2012, that a customer had complained to them that a five-year certificate of deposit had been changed to a one-year CD, and that it now had less money than what the customer had deposited.
Bank officials told the man he had made several withdrawals, which he denied. An investigation showed withdrawals were made from that account and two others at the bank, between June 2009 and June 2011, by former branch manager Pranga, according to police. Police say $20,000 is missing from the accounts.
Pranga has also been charged with forgery. According to the complaint filed with the court, on July 24, 2009, she “knowingly made a document” that purported to be a check from the victim’s account; made it out for $3,500, payable to MetLife Mortgage; and signed as if permission was granted by the victim.
Pranga was also charged with theft: Obtaining unauthorized control over $10,000 to $100,000. The complaint said she “exerted unlawful control” over the victim’s bank accounts “intending to permanently deprive him of the property.”
Pranga has been the manager of Inland Bank’s Geneva branch at 1900 W. State St. since September 2011, according to a Daily Herald Business Ledger article. Before that, she worked for MB Financial, according to her LinkedIn profile and mentions in Geneva Chamber of Commerce newsletters.
Pranga serves on the Geneva Women in Business committee of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, and is also active in the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce. She is on the board of directors of Literacy Volunteers of America — Fox Valley.
In December 2011, MetLife Home Loans filed a foreclosure suit against Lynn and Jerry Pranga, in Kane County court. The judge dismissed the suit in June, according to court records.
Pranga, 55, lives in the 200 block of Fairhaven Drive, St. Charles, according to court records.
The financial exploitation of the elderly charge and the theft charges are Class 2 felonies punishable by probation or three to seven years in prison, if convicted. The forgery charge is a Class 3 felony, punishable by probation or two to five years in prison.