LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) _ A former SunTrust executive who pleaded guilty to wire fraud will spend more than three years in prison. Kirsten F. Hawkins also must pay $472,000 in restitution to the bank. Hawkins was sentenced on Tuesday in federal court in Lynchburg. The 46-year-old Staunton woman had pleaded guilty in January to three counts of wire fraud. She was accused of transferring funds to her own account and using the money to pay rent and other expenses, to buy jewelry and clothing and to travel. Hawkins was a vice president at the bank when the fraud occurred between August 2011 and August 2014. Defense attorney Dana Cormier said at Tuesday’s hearing that Hawkins made poor decisions after having personal and financial setbacks.
