San Diego

A former bank teller was sentenced Monday to two years in prison for embezzling $176,024 during more than four years from the checking account of a customer who couldn’t speak English or balance a checkbook.

Maria Alice Melo, 39, of San Diego also was placed on five years’ probation and ordered to repay $136,000 to the insurance company that gave Peninsula Bank of San Diego the money to cover the victim’s losses.

Melo, who is active in San Diego’s Portuguese community, admitted using her bank identification code to transfer funds from the account of a Portuguese immigrant to her personal account between June, 1982, and last December.

U.S. District Judge John Rhoades noted the grief and confusion of the victim, Maria George of San Diego, in denying a request for probation from defense attorney J. Jude Basile.

“I think it’s shocking that Mrs. Melo would take advantage of this woman the way she did,” Rhoades said. “She (Melo) didn’t need the money. It went for frivolous reasons.”

Rhoades also noted that the bank isn’t likely to be repaid because Melo doesn’t have much money and first must repay the fidelity bond, which gave the bank the money to reimburse the victim.

“As the bank points out, the people who ultimately have to pay for this are its customers,” Rhoades said.

Melo, who already has paid $40,000 restitution, pleaded guilty to two counts of misappropriating bank funds. She faced five years in prison under a plea agreement with the government.