Teller sentenced to 5 years for stealing from bank

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A former Allendale bank teller has been sentenced to five years in prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the bank, then trying to burn it down when her bosses discovered the missing money.

U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles says 40-year-old April Adams was also ordered Thursday to repay more than $330,000 to Allendale County Bank.

Investigators say Adams took the money last year. Nettles says bank officials learned of the problem when Adams told other bank employees to post a sign stating that the bank could not cash checks due to lack of funds.

Investigators say Adams then tried to set a fire inside the bank vault.

She pleaded guilty in February to embezzlement and arson and had faced a possible 50 years in prison.