Close up of a judge's gavel.
Nicole Hilstolsky, who staged a 2018 robbery of the Pennsylvania credit union where she worked, will be sentenced in March.
She pleaded guilty to one felony count of theft by a credit union employee in U.S. District Court in Scranton on Dec. 5, according to federal court filings.
On Oct. 15, 2018, Hilstolsky stole $16,247 from the safe and teller drawer at the $2.5 million W.O.D. Federal Credit Union in Forty Fort, about 20 miles south of Scranton. On that same day, she told police investigators two unidentified armed bank robbers had committed the crime.
The robbery shocked the community because the credit union was only about 20 yards away from the police station, local media reported.
Forty Fort police investigators said two men in hoods with guns walked into the credit union around lunchtime and demanded money.
Authorities asked the public to contact police with any information about the robbery.
It wasn’t until Nov. 14, 2025, when the criminal charge was brought against the former credit union employee. Prosecutors did not explain in court filings why it took seven years to charge Hilstolsky.
She signed a plea agreement with prosecutors in November. As part of the plea deal, Hilstolsky agreed to pay $22,197 in restitution.
By the first quarter of 2019, the NCUA deemed W.O.D. Federal Credit Union in poor financial condition and merged it with the $168 million UFCW Community Federal Credit Union in Wyoming, Pa.
READ MORE: Nicole Hilstolsky Plea Agreement.
Contact Peter Strozniak at peter.strozniak@arc-network.com.
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