Bank Teller, $400,000 Disappear

In his three years at Republic Bank in Gardena, teller Alexander V. Manansala had a clean record. His boss said he was efficient and that his cash drawer always balanced at the end of the day.

So bank supervisors were surprised this month when the 29-year-old teller ordered all that extra cash from the Federal Reserve system for Republic Bank’s vault.

When Republic Bank accumulated about $600,000, twice the normal cash on hand, a bank official ordered Manansala to send the excess funds back to the Federal Reserve “as soon as possible,” federal authorities said.

A few days later, Manansala and $400,000 disappeared, according to the FBI.

Warrant Issued

Last week, Federal Magistrate Ralph J. Geffen issued an arrest warrant for Manansala in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. FBI agents said the teller has been missing since he left work April 7.

“It’s a sad thing,” said John B. O’Donnell, president of the bank, which also has branches in Torrance and Fullerton. “You put some faith in people and then they get you.”

O’Donnell said Manansala was a vault teller, responsible for allocating cash to other tellers in the branch on Redondo Beach Boulevard. He was also permitted to order more cash, when necessary, from the Federal Reserve Bank in Los Angeles, he said.

A supervisor asked Manansala the first week of April why he had allowed $600,000 to accumulate in the vault, according to a court affidavit. Manansala “became irritated and told (the supervisor) he had simply made a mistake and ordered too much money,” according to the document.

But the affidavit, written to obtain the arrest warrant, says Manansala had not sent the money back to the Federal Reserve by April 7, a Friday.

Arrived Early

Manansala arrived early for work that day, ostensibly so he could take time off later in the day for an appointment at the Department of Motor Vehicles, the court papers say. Three times that day--when he left for the DMV, at lunch and at the end of the day--Manansala left the bank with his briefcase.

Bank officials theorized that it would take that many trips to move $399,586, the amount missing.

It was not until the following Monday that bank officials realized that the cash was gone from the vault. Then Manansala did not report for work, the affidavit says.

The usually dependable teller and his wife, Bernadette Villarica, a supervisor with a Los Angeles bank, have not been at their Los Angeles apartment since April 7, according to their apartment manager.

The couple’s furniture, clothing and other possessions remain in the apartment, the apartment manager said.

Several relatives, including Manansala’s father-in-law in the Philippines, said they have not heard from the couple, the affidavit states.