Crime & Public Safety
Former Minneapolis U.S. Bank Teller Accused of Taking Nearly $41,000; Hennepin County Charges Filed
A former U.S. Bank teller is accused of stealing nearly $41,000 in cash from the Minneapolis branch where she worked, court documents filed in Hennepin County allege. The complaint identifies the branch on 34th Avenue South and says shortages were discovered during late May and early June 2026.
According to the complaint, the cash vault first showed a $32,000 shortage on May 30, 2026, followed by a missing $1,000 on June 1. On June 5 the employee reported her assigned cash box short by $1,999.94 and then stopped showing up for work, later requesting a leave of absence. A June 9 cash audit allegedly found $6,000 in counterfeit bills described as motion picture money had been placed in the vault and were being counted as mutilated currency, increasing the documented shortfall.
The complaint, citing bank records and video surveillance, alleges the teller — identified in charging papers as Kendrell Lashawna Maliya Stuart, 25 — entered transfers from her assigned cash box to the vault without physically placing the cash inside. A U.S. Bank investigator is cited as estimating the total taken at approximately $40,999. Stuart had not returned to work and was terminated by U.S. Bank as of July 29.
The Minneapolis Police Department’s Financial Crimes Unit received a report on Aug. 19 and Hennepin County charges were filed. A warrant and $100,000 bail were set by a Hennepin County judge; Stuart is not in custody and her whereabouts are unknown, with social media cited in the complaint as indicating she could be in the Bahamas.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.