Former Truist bank employee stole $195K from customers, faked her own death

A former Truist bank employee stole nearly $200,000 from 70 customers, eventually pretending to be dead to conceal her wrongdoing.

Ahshah Dior Martin, 35, of South Chesterfield, pled guilty today to embezzling funds from and making false statements to her former employer, Truist Financial Corporation.

Martin stole from the Truist accounts of individuals and entities, including multiple churches, a children’s museum and the North Carolina wing of the Civil Air Patrol.

It may have been fun while it lasted as Martin allegedly spent the stolen funds on cosmetic products, clothing, travel expenses, dining and at a hookah bar.

According to court documents, in 2023, Martin began improperly using her access to Truist computer systems to gather banking information from customers. She initiated fraudulent debits and withdrawals from these accounts.

For example, Martin repeatedly initiated payments from customer bank accounts to a child support payment processor, through which Martin paid herself.

Martin used her access to sensitive customer financial information to steal $195,000 from customer accounts.

On April 15, 2024, Martin was terminated by Truist.

Despite repeated attempts to retrieve her work laptop, Martin retained her computer. To conceal her wrongdoing and prevent the return of her laptop, Martin told the bank in an email response: “Sorry to inform you, she has passed away.”

Martin, who is still very much alive, is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 20 and faces up to 30 years in prison.