Former Owego Bankers Plead Guilty to Embezzlement

Two former Owego bankers plead guilty to federal embezzlement charges yesterday. 54-year-old Megan Horton and 43-year-old Gwenn Gooding, both of Owego, pled guilty in U.S. District Court Wednesday on the felony charge of bank embezzlement. 38-year-old Shannon Moore of Athens, PA, pled guilty to the same charge on December 21st. All three were former employees of the Chemung Canal Trust bank in Owego. Horton, who had been branch manager, admitted to stealing more than $200,000 between December of 2004 and September, 2011. Gooding, the former head teller, admitted stealing $100,000; and Moore, a former teller, said she stole $25,000 over the same time period. The embezzlement was discovered after an audit of the bank branch in the aftermath of the 2011 flood. Each of the three face up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to one million dollars. They will be sentenced in April and May.