Prosecutor Perry Piper said a woman who took a gun into a Chattanooga bank is facing up to 10 years in federal prison.
Zoya Zakwan, 43, of Murfreesboro, appeared Tuesday afternoon before Federal Magistrate Court Judge Bill Carter.
A trial date before Judge Sandy Mattice was set for Jan. 22 if the case is not resolved.
Ms. Zakwan picked up the federal charge of being a felon in possession of a weapon because she had a prior felony in state court. In November 2006, Ms. Zakwan, while working as the bookkeeper for the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Murfreesboro, was charged with embezzling over $60,000. Authorities said she used church credit cards to make personal purchases.
She later pleaded guilty to theft over $1,000 and received two years probation. She was ordered to pay $73,256 in restitution.
Magistrate Judge Carter said Ms. Zakwan was not eligible for release because she was brought here from a Murfreesboro jail.
Prosecutor Piper said the recommendation here is that she be kept confined until the case is handled.
He said she had some prior probation violations and flights from justice incidents.
In the incident on Aug. 2, 2011, at Capital Mark Bank & Trust at 801 Broad St., police said Ms. Zakwan asked if her husband's ex-wife was there, then pulled a handgun. The former wife spotted her, then locked the door to her office.
Ms. Zakwan eventually fled and was arrested by a bike patrol officer as she took off items of clothing while going down the street.
The handgun was found on the sidewalk on Broad Street.