Carol Lynn Been, 60, of Henryetta, Oklahoma, stole over half a million dollars from the OSU-IT Federal Credit Union, funneling cash from the vault to fuel a years-long financial binge while betraying the trust of her position. Between 2014 and June 18, 2017, Been, an employee at the Okmulgee-based credit union, systematically siphoned funds by withdrawing cash and covering her tracks, all within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Charged with Credit Union Theft, Embezzlement And Misapplication under Title 18, United States Code, Section 657, Been admitted to misapplying, embezzling, abstracting and purloining more than $1,000—though the final total reached a staggering $567,774.87. The scheme targeted a federally insured institution, meaning taxpayer-backed funds were at risk, and the breach triggered a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe that eventually unraveled her actions.
At sentencing in Muskogee, U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White handed down a 60-month probation term—avoiding prison—but made clear the seriousness of the crime by imposing full restitution. There would be no hiding from the debt: every dollar taken must be paid back, a financial noose tightening with interest.
The prosecution was led by First Assistant United States Attorney Douglas A. Horn, who emphasized the violation of public trust inherent in financial institutions. Employees like Been are entrusted with access not just to cash, but to the economic stability of working families, and her actions corroded that foundation.
Been’s crime wasn’t flashy or violent—but it bled an institution dry through quiet, repeated theft. No accomplices were named; this was a solo act of betrayal, carried out behind the counter of a modest credit union serving Okmulgee County workers. The exact methods of concealment remain part of the investigative record, but the outcome is clear: reckoning without prison, yet burdened with a debt exceeding half a million.
The OSU-IT Federal Credit Union, federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration, now closes a painful chapter. Been walks free—but not unscarred. Her name, her crime, and the $567,774.87 she owes to justice will follow her long after probation ends.
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Key Facts
- State: Oklahoma
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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