A former Sidney bank vice president has pleaded guilty to federal charges of embezzling almost $1.4-million dollars from the First National Bank of Sidney…now part of the Points West bank chain…between 2003 and last year.

38-year old Matthew Monheiser faces a maximum of 30 years when sentenced June 24, but prosecutors have agreed to recommended a sentence at the lower end of the range. He will also be prohibited from working at any institution ensured by the FDIC.

Monheiser…who has been working for a wrecking company in Sidney…says he’s already repaid $500,000 to the bank and made arrangements to pay another $1 million in restitution to cover the theft plus interest.

Prosecutors say most of the stolen money was obtained by creating loans or issuing cashier’s checks in customers’ names, increasing existing loans, or creating new loans in customer names, but that he also simply took $82,000 in cash from the bank vault.