Fake Robbery, Real Theft: 8 Months in Fed Lockup

⏱ 2 min read

Nicole Hilstolsky, 48, of Swoyersville, Pennsylvania, is heading to federal prison for eight months. She didn’t pull off a daring heist—she faked one. On October 15, 2018, Hilstolsky, then an employee of the now-defunct WOD Federal Credit Union, grabbed $16,247 from the teller and safe, then called 911 reporting an armed robbery. It was all a lie.

According to court records, Hilstolsky initially told investigators she’d been victimized by two masked gunmen. But the story crumbled fast. She hadn’t been robbed at gunpoint; she’d simply pocketed the cash and invented the threat. Instead of making a clean getaway, she hid the money inside the credit union for several days, waiting for an opportunity to smuggle it out.

The scheme unraveled thanks to a joint investigation by the FBI and the Forty Fort Police Department. They quickly determined the robbery was an inside job, pointing directly to Hilstolsky. She eventually admitted to the theft and the elaborate fabrication.

Senior U.S. District Judge Robert D. Mariani delivered the sentence today, adding two years of supervised release to Hilstolsky’s time behind bars. Assistant U.S. Attorney James M. Buchanan handled the prosecution, bringing the whole house of cards down on the credit union insider.