Banker Dodges Hard Time For Stealing $320K From Employer, Using Customer Info To Score Add'l $900K; Cops Plea After Failed Bridge-Jumping Suicide Try

In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Lancaster New Era reports:

• Not many people would describe George L. Clayton Jr.'s experience as "a miracle and a blessing." After stealing more than $300,000 from the bank where he worked, Clayton realized the error of his ways. He forged loans to repay the money, making matters worse. Consumed with guilt, Clayton jumped from the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge into the Susquehanna River. But he survived the jump, was rescued and then was arrested as he confessed his crimes.(1)

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• The incidents happened between January 2006 and June 2008 while Clayton was employed at Union National Bank in Manheim Township. After stealing about $320,000, Clayton filled out loan applications using stolen customer information to obtain about $900,000. He then opened secret checking accounts, depositing and withdrawing the stolen funds, according to court documents, to try to cover up the theft.

For more, see Banker gets house arrest for stealing (Took $300,000 from employer, then attempted suicide).

(1) Reportedly, Clayton asked the judge for mercy, telling him he intends to go forward from the experience and work hard to "make this life purposeful." Lancaster County Judge Jeffery Wright sentenced Clayton to five years in the Intermediate Punishment Program, which includes one year house arrest, followed by probation and 400 hours of community service. Rather than have him sit in prison at taxpayers' expense, Wright said he wanted Clayton "to work, and work long and hard," continuing to pay taxes as he repays his debt. "I hope tales of your redemption, may outlive your tale of transgressions," Wright told Clayton.