FRESNO, Calif. -- United States Attorney Benjamin W. Wagner announced Monday that on Nov. 19, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Donice Maxine Medina, 53, of Parlier, Calif., with theft and embezzlement of funds from a Bank of the West branch in Parlier. Medina appeared before Magistrate Judge Sandra Snyder Monday and entered a not guilty plea to the charges in the indictment.

According to Assistant United States Attorneys Sheila K. Oberto and Kirk E. Sherriff, who are prosecuting the case, the indictment alleges that between Jan. 2006 and Aug. 28, 2009, Medina used her position as Customer Service Manager to embezzle over $1 million of the bank’s funds.

The maximum statutory penalty for theft or embezzlement by a bank officer or employee is 30 years in custody and a fine of up to $1 million. However, the actual sentence will be dictated by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of factors, and will be imposed at the discretion of the court.