The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Updated 04:50 p.m., August 13, 2008

Steamboat Springs — Terri Dawn Moody Fatka, one of two women accused of embezzling more than $1.2 million from Alpine Bank account holders, told Steamboat Springs police detectives in June that the thefts began when she put $10,000 down the front of her pants in the safety deposit box room at the bank.

Fatka pleaded guilty to four counts each of felony theft and forgery June 23. Her alleged conspirator, Pamela Jean Williams, was due to appear in Routt County District Court at 10 a.m. today for arraignment. Her case is poised to go to trial.

On June 12, in an interview before witnesses including Det. Jerry Stabile and Fatka’s attorney, Erick Knaus, Fatka described in detail how she and Williams took the money — and where they spent it.

The document can be downloaded from this Web page. The link is located left of this story.

“Pam told me that there were no cameras in the safety deposit box room,” Fatka said. “And, she told me to put it down the front of my pants, and then we’d walk the rest of the money into the vault ‘cause there was another door that she had to open to get into the vault, and then we put the rest in there, but I had ten thousand ($10,000) in my pants at that time.”

Fatka, 45, then said stealing that first amount “was just way too easy,” so soon after “we went back in and got six thousand ($6,000) more.”

The first $16,000 Fatka admitted to stealing with Williams in 2004 went toward paying off debts, buying a car for one of their children, and “probably just little things like groceries and bills,” according to the transcript of Fatka’s interview.

As the women allegedly progressed to stealing money directly from Alpine Bank accounts, they were paying for lavish trips to Las Vegas with cashier’s checks, buying expensive jewelry they told others was fake, and buying cars, motorcycles and dirt bikes for themselves and their families, according to the transcript.

"When Pam and I would go to Vegas, or if we purchased anything, we'd use my credit card 'cause she didn't have a credit card at that time. And we'd put our, our, ummm, our airline tickets on there, our spa trips, just anything really, and then, when my bill would come in, I would add up how much she owed," Fatka said. "And, I would tell her, 'Hey, you owe this much.' And, she would bring from her stash cash in for her portion of my bill, and I would bring stash in from my house. And, then, she would do a cashier's check on her computer, and we'd usually send it off to Compass or whatever credit card and it'd be in my name."

Early in the interview, Fatka expressed remorse and a desire to "be honest with everything."

"That's what I feel in my heart; I just need to come clean with everything, not hide anything," she said. "I'm tired of looking over my shoulder, and I've done that for years. And, I'm ready to be a good person again, and that's why I'm here."

Fatka is due for sentencing in Routt County District Court on Aug. 27.

For updates and more from the transcripts, check www.steamboatpilot.com today and see Thursday’s Steamboat Today.

— To reach Melinda Dudley, call 871-4203 or e-mail mdudley@steamboatpilot.com