Former banker pleads guilty to near $70,000 theft

By: Matt Elofson | Dothan Eagle
Published: August 30, 2010

A Newville woman apologized on Monday as she pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $70,000 from an Abbeville bank and some of its customers.

Henry County District Attorney Doug Valeska said Donna Cureton, 31, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of first-degree theft of property. He said Cureton entered what he referred to as a "blind guilty plea" in front of Judge Derek Peterson.

Valeska said Peterson sentenced Cureton to a 14-year prison term. But attorney Tom Brantley, who represented Cureton, said the court also accepted his client's application for probation, which will be heard in November.

"She was taking money out of customer accounts," Valeska said. "She was putting the money in her own accounts."

Henry County Sheriff's investigators arrested Cureton in July 2009 and charged her with stealing money from the Ameris Bank branch in Abbeville.

Valeska said Thomas Murphy, of Murphy Trucking in Abbeville, was victimized the most with $53,000 stolen from his account at the bank. He said Cureton also pleaded guilty to stealing $5,500 from attorney Spencer Danzey's account at the bank. Valeska also said she pleaded guilty to stealing $10,860 from a third person's account. Valeska said the bank repaid the victims for their losses after the theft.

Valeska said he planned to ask for jail time at the probation hearing.

"We told the judge the victims would be satisfied if she served a year in jail, and all the money was paid back," Valeska said. "This is one of those rare cases where we get the money back."

Brantley said his client has repaid a total of $66,500 back to the bank, and one of the victims.

"She's told me from day one that she did it, but that she's sorry. I think she's suffered tremendously inside her own conscience for it," Brantley said. "She apologized to the victims publicly in the courtroom, and that shows the tremendous amount of class she has."

Brantley called his client a prime candidate for probation because she had no criminal record, had apologized to the victims, almost repaid the money and has an "excellent community reputation."

"We're unclear as to exactly what the other money she owes is for," Brantley said. "Certainly we think we will be granted probation in my opinion."

Former banker pleads guilty to near $70,000 theft

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