Bank employee accused of stealing more than $600,000 from customer

WEST ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - An employee at a bank in West St. Paul, Minn. is accused of stealing more than $640,000 from a bank customer over the course of two years.

On Dec. 11, a customer who had been banking with the bank on Thompson Ave. E for more than 20 year called Cynthia Van Dusartz, 55, of Eagan and told her he suspected $500,000 to $700,000 was missing from his accounts. Van Dusartz had been his “go-to” person at the bank and often conducted wire transfers for him, according to the criminal complaint.

After telling the victim she would look into the missing money, Van Dusartz left the bank without finishing her workday.

Investigators discovered that Van Dusartz had been withdrawing money in from the victim’s account and transferring it to an account she had opened in 2005 under a different name.

Van Dusartz turned herself in to the West St. Paul Police Department on Dec. 12. She is being charged with four counts of felony theft by swindle.

The bank is continuing to investigate additional transactions made by Van Dusartz and believes there may be more victims, according to the criminal complaint.