Jury trial set for woman accused of embezzling $5M

WICHITA (AP) — A federal judge has set a summer trial date in the case of a Southeast Kansas woman of embezzling more than $5 million from a now-defunct credit union.

U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten scheduled a June 20 jury trial in Wichita for 64-year-old Nita Rae Nirschl on an 81-count federal indictment accusing the Parsons woman of embezzlement and money laundering.

The crimes allegedly took place while Nirschl worked for the Parsons Pittsburg Credit Union based in Parsons.

Federal prosecutors say that after an audit found the credit union was insolvent, it was placed in conservatorship and ultimately liquidated in March 2014. The audit allegedly revealed that from 2010 to December 2014, Nirschl allegedly embezzled more than $5 million and deposited the money into her personal accounts.

A federal grand jury indicted Nirschl on March 28. Nirschl is charged with 22 counts of embezzlement, 37 counts of money laundering and 18 counts of interstate transportation of stolen property. She’s also accused of four counts of attempting to evade taxes by failing to report income.

Nirschl worked for Parsons Credit Union from April 17, 2000, to Jan. 24, 2014, when she was interviewed by credit union examiners.

Golden Plains Credit Union eventually took over operation of the Parsons Credit Union.