Ronda A. Eames, 46, of Arnold has pleaded guilty to four federal bank fraud charges. She faces eight to 14 months in prison when she is sentenced in August, according to court documents.
Eames, a former Arnold Chamber of Commerce president and board member, pleaded guilty to the charges Monday (May 10) in U.S. Eastern District Court of Missouri. In exchange for her guilty plea, 11 other bank fraud charges and a charge of aggravated identity theft against her were dropped, according to the agreement.
She is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 4 by District Judge Henry Edwards Autrey, court papers indicate.
Eames, who also was an Arnold Kiwanis Club member, worked at Midland States Bank in Arnold when at least some of the alleged crimes occurred. She worked as a personal banker in February 2017 and was promoted to assistant banking center manager in May 2018, the court documents show.
She was indicted Dec. 6 for falsifying bank documents to remove money from customer accounts and to obtain loans under her former husband’s name. Between June 2018 and August 2018, Eames made four unauthorized withdrawals from Midland States Bank account holders for a total of $11,795.60, the plea agreement said.
The agreement also said she falsely filled out at least five loan applications under her former husband’s name to obtain $6,698.49 in loans from three financial institutions.