The former vice president of a now-shuttered Bridgeport bank pleaded guilty Thursday in a massive embezzlement scheme involving millions of dollars in bad loans that were hidden through a web of falsified records that made the bank’s books look legit.
James Crotty was fired from Washington Federal Bank for Savings in May 2017. The bank was shut down seven months later in December 2017. That happened just days after its president, John F. Gembara, was found dead in the $1 million Park Ridge home of a bank customer.
Thompson is charged with filing false federal income tax returns for the years 2013 through 2017. He is also charged with lying to federal regulators in early 2018 about the amount of money he owed Washington Federal Bank for Savings in Bridgeport.
Cathy Torres’ name appears on a list of potential prosecution witnesses for Thompson’s federal tax trial, which is set for Feb. 4. The feds say Torres communicated with Thompson about his loan at Washington Federal and attempts to refinance there.