Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced that the former manager of a Carle Place bank pleaded guilty yesterday to stealing more than $1 million from low-activity bank accounts.

William Brahe, Jr., 43, of East Meadow, pleaded guilty to grand larceny - 1st degree, the top charge he was facing as the result of his Jan. 16 arrest. He is facing up to 25 years in prison and scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 2. Rice said that the court directed Brahe to make full restitution.

Rice said that between August 2001 and October 2007, Brahe served as the bank manager for the Carle Place branch of JP Morgan Chase Bank. During this time, Brahe conducted a series of unauthorized withdrawals from the accounts of at least seven different bank customers. Rice said that Brahe targeted customers with low-activity accounts in the hopes that his theft would go unnoticed. He placed the stolen money into phony business accounts he had opened to conceal the scheme. Brahe stole a total of $1,078,400. The theft was discovered when a customer reported more than $132,000 missing from his account.

"Mr. Brahe betrayed the trust of his employer and the trust of his costumers when he abused his position to fatten his own wallet," Rice said. "We were fully prepared to take this case to trial, but the defendant ultimately decided to face the consequences of his actions."

Handling the case for the District Attorney's Office is Assistant District Attorney and Deputy Bureau Chief of the Government & Consumer Frauds Bureau William Wallace. Brahe is being represented by Mark Baker, Esq.