J. Bryant Neville
A former local bank executive pleaded guilty last week to charges of embezzling nearly $100,000 over four years during his time as the institution’s chief financial officer.
James Bryant Neville Jr., the CFO of Bank of McKenney until 2013, entered a plea deal on Friday in Dinwiddie County Circuit Court on one count of felony embezzlement and received a 10-year suspended sentence. He’ll serve no jail time as a result.
Neville, a lifelong resident of the Dinwiddie County area who had worked at Bank of McKenney since 1989, was indicted on April 21 on two counts of embezzlement for siphoning off $97,106 from the bank between August 2009 and July 2013. He was then arrested on April 24 and paid a $1,000 bail the same day.
Each charge carried the potential of up to 20 years in prison.
The case was handled by the Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Meghan Campbell said Neville’s suspended sentence was based on several factors, including his lack of a criminal record and his efforts to pay the bank back.
Neville is a quadriplegic, and Campbell said that was also a factor in deciding his sentence, particularly the costs and logistics of accommodating him in prison.
“Throughout the investigation, he’s been very humble and very willing to take responsibility,” Campbell said.
One of the embezzlement counts was also withdrawn as part of the plea deal.
Bank of McKenney operates several branches across the Southside. Photo by Michael Schwartz.
Neville’s crimes were discovered and reported by Bank of McKenney. The $219 million bank said in a release in May that Neville repaid all the money taken, in addition to covering the bank’s cost of investigating the issue. He ultimately repaid more than $205,000.
The bank said no customer account was ever affected by Neville’s actions.
Richard Liles, the bank’s CEO, declined to comment Monday specifically on the Neville case, but reiterated that it was the bank’s internal processes that discovered the crime.
“Controls are there for a purpose,” he said.
Neville did not address the court at Friday’s hearing, Campbell said.
She said Neville, 51, admitted during the investigation that his crimes were spurred at least in part by financial troubles he incurred. Some of those issues were related to construction of a new house he built to accommodate his disability and a book deal that wasn’t as successful as he expected; he published a book in 2012 about his life as a quadriplegic.
“He had too much pride to ask for help,” Campbell said.
Neville was represented in his criminal case by Richmond attorney Charles Cosby Jr. A message left for Cosby was not returned by press time.
J. Bryant Neville
A former local bank executive pleaded guilty last week to charges of embezzling nearly $100,000 over four years during his time as the institution’s chief financial officer.
James Bryant Neville Jr., the CFO of Bank of McKenney until 2013, entered a plea deal on Friday in Dinwiddie County Circuit Court on one count of felony embezzlement and received a 10-year suspended sentence. He’ll serve no jail time as a result.
Neville, a lifelong resident of the Dinwiddie County area who had worked at Bank of McKenney since 1989, was indicted on April 21 on two counts of embezzlement for siphoning off $97,106 from the bank between August 2009 and July 2013. He was then arrested on April 24 and paid a $1,000 bail the same day.
Each charge carried the potential of up to 20 years in prison.
The case was handled by the Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Meghan Campbell said Neville’s suspended sentence was based on several factors, including his lack of a criminal record and his efforts to pay the bank back.
Neville is a quadriplegic, and Campbell said that was also a factor in deciding his sentence, particularly the costs and logistics of accommodating him in prison.
“Throughout the investigation, he’s been very humble and very willing to take responsibility,” Campbell said.
One of the embezzlement counts was also withdrawn as part of the plea deal.
Bank of McKenney operates several branches across the Southside. Photo by Michael Schwartz.
Neville’s crimes were discovered and reported by Bank of McKenney. The $219 million bank said in a release in May that Neville repaid all the money taken, in addition to covering the bank’s cost of investigating the issue. He ultimately repaid more than $205,000.
The bank said no customer account was ever affected by Neville’s actions.
Richard Liles, the bank’s CEO, declined to comment Monday specifically on the Neville case, but reiterated that it was the bank’s internal processes that discovered the crime.
“Controls are there for a purpose,” he said.
Neville did not address the court at Friday’s hearing, Campbell said.
She said Neville, 51, admitted during the investigation that his crimes were spurred at least in part by financial troubles he incurred. Some of those issues were related to construction of a new house he built to accommodate his disability and a book deal that wasn’t as successful as he expected; he published a book in 2012 about his life as a quadriplegic.
“He had too much pride to ask for help,” Campbell said.
Neville was represented in his criminal case by Richmond attorney Charles Cosby Jr. A message left for Cosby was not returned by press time.
I am also disabled, fought 13 years to get disability, to be recognized as being disabled, and never turned to forgery, or any crimes. I am and have become bankrupt and have no job and I still have not committed crimes. Does this mean I am entitled to do the crime and not do time? The law should apply to all, not only to those who have means as this man apparently has but to all.
my brother stole a quart of beer and 20.00 in Richmond and spent 3 years in the city jail. I guess he got time for being dumb. I told him he would have gotten the same amount of time for robbing a bank instead of petty larceny.
Sorry about this man’s health problems and situation. But, if you break the law, you must deal with the consequences as everyone else. I have many health problems and financial difficulties, but have never resorted to stealing or dishonesty. I pray that he will no longer do such things and stay on the right path from now on.