A former Jefferson City bank teller has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for taking $410,000 from the vault.

The U.S. attorney's office says 29-year-old Katherine Nicholle Brown, of Jefferson City, also was ordered Tuesday to repay the money.

The former Hawthorn Bank head teller entered a guilty plea in the embezzlement case in September. She admitted that she began taking money from the vault in 2012 when her husband couldn't work after undergoing shoulder surgery. She was caught in September 2014 after shipping five bags of cash to the Federal Reserve Bank just before taking maternity leave.

The bags contained $410,000 less than she reported, leading to an audit.

Court documents say she used the money to buy vehicles, make home improvements and upgrade her wedding rings.

More From AM 1050 KSIS