Former bank employee accused of stealing $500K reaches plea deal

GILLETTE (WNE) — A Gillette man accused of stealing and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars through his former job at First Northern Bank has reached a plea deal.

Bryce Zitterkopf, 35, agreed to plead guilty to drug-endangered child, crimes against intellectual property, unlawful use of a credit card, theft with intent to deprive, possession of meth and possession of marijuana.

According to the plea arrangement, the state will recommend 25 to 100 months in prison, to run concurrently to a recommended 25 to 60 months for the drug-endangered child and felony possession of meth.

For the unlawful use of a credit card, the state will recommend nine to 10 years in prison, suspended for 10 years of supervised probation, to run consecutive to the sentence of the first three crimes.

In addition, Zitterkopf must pay $462,175.81 in restitution to First Northern Bank.

Zitterkopf was arrested in April on more than 40 felony and misdemeanor counts of unlawful use of a credit card, theft and crimes against intellectual property, according to court documents.

He was accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars by opening credit card lines for himself, expanding their limits, running up charges and waiving the interest through his job at First Northern Bank.

The litany of counts was reduced down to the six financial crime charges he faces now.

By the time Zitterkopf was confronted by bank higher-ups late last year, he admitted to increasing his credit limit on his personal credit card, and owed the bank a balance of $319,431.31 from several cards he created for himself, according to court documents.

While searching his residence, police found about 11 grams of meth and misdemeanor amounts of marijuana and THC edibles. The endangering children charge stems from Zitterkopf’s roommate’s 1-year-old child sharing the home where he kept meth, according to court documents.

This story was published on December 30, 2024.