LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A former executive at Fifth Third Bank has been sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal embezzlement charges.

Cynthia Kay Wright, a former bank vice president from Lexington, was sentenced Friday and ordered to pay the bank back $182,414.

Judge Jennifer B. Coffman also ordered her to pay $500 immediately.

Wright pleaded guilty in April to altering the bank's books to write and cash checks to pay her online gambling debts. The crime was uncovered as part of an internal review.

Wright said she was sorry and told the court she has been attending two Gamblers Anonymous meetings per week and hasn't bet in more than seven months.

Coffman approved Wright's motion for a reduced sentence. Wright was facing to up to 30 years, although prosecutors recommended she receive between 21 and 27 months.

"Obviously this has been extremely difficult for my husband and family, and I regret the shame my actions have caused for them," Wright told the court. "I cannot take away what I did. I cannot run or hide from it."

--- Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, www.kentucky.com

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