Oak Ridge Today

Maine man pleads guilty in armed bank extortions, including at Y-12 Credit Union

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Brian Witham

Brian Witham

Note: This story was last updated at 5:40 p.m.

A Maine man charged in several armed bank extortion plots, including at Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge, pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday, authorities said.

Brian Scott Witham, 45, of Waterville, Maine, pleaded guilty to the charges contained in a 15-count indictment from December 2015 involving armed bank extortions of the Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge, SmartBank in Knoxville, and Northeast Community Credit Union in Elizabethton, said Nancy Stallard Harr, acting U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Tennessee. Witham is one of two people charged in the bank extortion scheme.

As part of his plea agreement, Witham agreed to plead guilty to similar charges from three other federal jurisdictions including the Western District of North Carolina, the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and the District of Connecticut, authorities said. Witham, U.S. attorneys, and a federal judge all agreed to transfer the similar charges to U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Tennessee, a press release said. Those charges include being a felon in possession of a firearm in Haywood County, North Carolina; armed robbery of an Ingles in Arden, North Carolina; armed robbery of the Peoples Security Bank and Trust in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania; and attempted armed bank extortion of the Achieve Financial Credit Union in New Britain, Connecticut, authorities said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge branch of Y-12 FCU will remain closed Wed., re-open Thursday

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Oak Ridge Police Department at Y-12 Federal Credit Union

Oak Ridge Police Department officers were at the Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning. The branch will remain closed Wednesday and reopen Thursday, although the credit union’s headquarters will be open on Wednesday.

 

The Oak Ridge branch of the Y-12 Federal Credit Union will remain closed Wednesday and re-open Thursday, a spokesman said. The branch was closed Tuesday during an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and Oak Ridge Police Department into a report of a bank robbery, kidnapping, and extortion.

Police responded to the Oak Ridge branch at about 9:15 a.m. Tuesday. There were at least a half-dozen officers and detectives at the scene, and they blocked the entrance to the credit union.

Customers were not able to use the bank while authorities investigated. Chris Smith, vice president of marketing at Y-12 Federal Credit Union, said officials were only allowing staff and investigators to enter on Tuesday morning.

He said the Credit Union branch will remain closed Wednesday and reopen for normal hours on Thursday. But employees remain at the Oak Ridge headquarters, which shares a five-story building with the branch, and all staff will report to work on Wednesday, Smith said Tuesday afternoon. [Read more…]

Area credit unions join to launch CU Community Title Company LLC

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Submitted

CU Community and Credit Union Services of East Tennessee, or CUSET, have teamed up to launch CU Community Title Company LLC, effective January 2, 2015.

The joint venture represents a groundbreaking collaboration between East Tennessee’s most successful subsidiaries of ORNL Federal Credit Union and Y-12 Federal Credit Union, both headquartered in Oak Ridge, a press release said.

“Title companies are a natural extension of the mortgage business,” said Ron Honeycutt, CUSET chairman. “Y-12 FCU and ORNL FCU are two of the area’s largest and most successful mortgage providers. Forming a title company gives us added flexibility in meeting the mortgage needs of our respective membership, while ensuring they receive the best value, convenience, and peace of mind.” [Read more…]

Y-12 Federal Credit Union names new CEO

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Mark Ziegler

Mark Ziegler

The Y-12 Federal Credit Union board of directors has named a new president and chief executive officer.

Mark Ziegler, the new CEO, will replace Tom Hilton, who will retire later this year, a press release said.

“Tom Hilton joined Y-12 Federal Credit Union more than 20 years ago as president/CEO and has led Y-12 FCU to achieve goals that we never imagined when he came on board,” board chairman Don Norris said. “We sincerely appreciate his leadership and dedication over the past 20-plus years and wish him the best in his retirement. [Read more…]