Site last updated: Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Log In

Reset Password
Butler County's great daily newspaper

Pa. man considered bank error 'a gift from God'

BLOOMSBURG — A Pennsylvania man says when a bank error put more than $177,000 in his and his wife's account he considered it divine providence.

Fifty-year-old Randy Pratt and 36-year-old Melissa Pratt waived a preliminary hearing Wednesday. They face trial in Columbia County on felony theft and conspiracy charges.

The trouble started when a $1,772.50 deposit in the Pratts' FNB Bank account showed up as $177,250 last summer. Police say they withdrew the money and fled to Florida.

Randy Pratt told the Bloomsburg Press Enterprise he considered the money "a gift from God." He says the couple gave away thousands of dollars, including $25,000 to a church shelter for the homeless.

Melissa Pratt is free on unsecured bail, and Randy Pratt is in county prison. District Judge Donna Coombe denied a request to lower his $100,000 bail.

More in Pennsylvania News

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

* indicates required
TODAY'S PHOTOS