Director pleads to extortion, employee to theft, in credit union regulator’s February prohibition actions

A former director in Massachusetts pleaded guilty to an extortion charge, and a former employee in Wisconsin admitted to a theft, resulting in both being ordered to pay restitution to their credit unions by the federal credit union regulator.

The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) said in its listing of prohibition orders and notices issued for February that Mark Harrington, a former member of the board of directors of New England Teamsters Federal Credit Union in Arlington, Mass., pleaded guilty to the extortion charge. Harrington was sentenced to two years’ probation and ordered to pay $24,023.95 in restitution.

Also in February, Anthony N. Tourtillott, a former employee of Focus Credit Union in Wauwatosa, Wis., pleaded guilty to the theft charge. Tourtillott was sentenced to five years in prison, five years’ supervised release and was ordered to pay $326,459.00 in restitution.

Additionally, both are prohibited from participating in the affairs of any federally insured financial institution.

Other prohibition notices in February, NCUA said, show the following:

  • John G. Pressler III, a former employee or institution-affiliated party of Paradise Valley Federal Credit Union in National City, Calif., agreed and consented to the issuance of a prohibition order and agreed to comply with all of its terms to settle and resolve the NCUA Board’s claims against him.
  • Michael Andrew Skinner, a former employee or institution-affiliated party of Dade County Federal Credit Union in Sweetwater, Fla., agreed and consented to the issuance of a prohibition order and agreed to comply with all of its terms to settle and resolve the NCUA Board’s claims against him.

Pressler and Skinner are also prohibited from participating in the affairs of any federally insured financial institution.

NCUA Issues Prohibition Notices