Mesa Woman Convicted of Embezzling Money from a Mesa Bank

PHOENIX, Ariz. - Brooke McDonough, 35, of Mesa, Arizona, was convicted by a jury on Thursday, December 11, 2025, after a two-week trial, of one count of embezzlement by bank employee, six counts of transactional money laundering, and five counts of structuring transactions to evade reporting requirements. McDonough served as the branch manager for a bank in Mesa between 2020 and early 2022.

The evidence at trial revealed that, starting in June 2021, McDonough stole cash from the ATM machines and vault inside the branch she managed. She then deposited most of the cash she stole into her personal bank accounts, using different ATMs at multiple bank branches. In total, between June 2021 and February 2022, McDonough embezzled $655,000 from the branch she managed and deposited or spent approximately $645,000 in cash during the same time period. McDonough broke down her ATM cash deposits into smaller amounts to avoid having the banks file Currency Transaction Reports for deposits of over $10,000 in cash.

"Significant trust is placed in business leaders in our community," said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. "When those individuals take advantage of their leadership position to embezzle large amounts of money from the business they were entrusted to lead, our Office will hold them accountable."

"FDIC OIG is laser focused on working with our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney's Office to protect the Nation's financial system," said Special Agent in Charge Ryan Korner. "The guilty verdict in this case should serve as a stern warning to others who are considering stealing from FDIC insured and/or regulated financial institutions to line their own pockets."

"We are grateful to the U.S. Attorney's Office, The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and all of those involved for their outstanding cooperation and dedication throughout this investigation. Their professionalism and commitment were instrumental in achieving this outcome," said Spokesperson for Mesa Police Department, Detective J. Macias.

This case was investigated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation - Office of Inspector General and Mesa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aron Ketchel and Adriana Genco, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER: CR-24-376-ROS
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-177_McDonough

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

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