Cynthia Martin, chief of staff to Dean of the House Rep. John Conyers (D., Mich.), has pled guilty to charges of receiving stolen property in DC Superior Court.
An unknown individual who works for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) had accidentally deposited $16,500 into Martin’s savings account at the Wright Patman Congressional Federal Credit Union, instead of his own. Investigators say Martin was aware of the transactions, which were made from May 2013 to September 2015, but did not report them to the credit union. The credit union’s policy allowed for $3,500 to be recovered for the victim, but Martin still did not return the remaining $13,000.
The deposits amounted to $500 each every two weeks.
In 2014, investigators say that Martin began transferring money from her credit union account to other accounts. At one point, Martin made a $1,000 withdrawal from an ATM.
Martin has been ordered to pay restitution and will have a hearing in September to follow up on her payments.
A spokeswoman for Conyers told NBC 4 Washington that Martin has been placed on unpaid leave and that Conyers’ office will review the case. When reached for comment by NBC 4 Washington, Martin declined to comment.
Martin made $166,000 in 2015 as Conyers’ chief of staff, according to congressional records.