Former Framingham Bank Teller Sentenced In Bank Fraud Scheme

FRAMINGHAM, MA — A Framingham woman will serve a year of home confinement and be forced to pay thousands in restitution costs for her role in a bank fraud scheme, according to federal officials.

Valnardia Novas, 25, a former TD Bank teller, was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty in December 2020 to a charge of bank fraud conspiracy.

According to federal prosecutors, Novas took part in a scheme where multiple people worked together to withdraw funds from bank accounts using false documents. Tellers took part by not scrutinizing the false documents, prosecutors said.

"Novas was a bank teller at TD Bank and was paid to participate in this scheme. In September and October 2017, co-conspirators instructed Novas to fraudulently withdraw more than $300,000 in the form of bank checks and cash," the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston said in a news release.

In addition to the year of home confinement, Novas will pay $341,433 in restitution and forfeit $27,900.