A Tolono, Illinois woman faces embezzlement charges for allegedly embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from her employer over five years. She has also been charged with filing false income tax returns for four years straight. The woman had control of her employer’s financial records and access to its bank account and credit cards.
According to the indicted, she allegedly wrote vendor checks to herself and she also wrote checks for cash payable from the company’s bank account. Additionally, she allegedly wrote unauthorized payroll checks to herself that exceeded her yearly salary and used her employer’s credit cards to pay her personal credit card charges. Prosecutors allege that she embezzled $624,000 over a five-year time period between 2014 and 2017.
The woman mentioned above is now facing serious federal embezzlement charges. Specifically, she is facing five counts of wire fraud charges. Each wire fraud charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. She also faces a sentence of up to three years in prison for each of four counts of filing false income tax returns. Local and federal law enforcement investigators, including the Champaign Police and the Internal Revenue Service’s investigative division, investigated her case.
Illinois Embezzlement Laws
Under Illinois law, embezzlement is a type of theft in which the defendant has legal access to the property but does not own it. Many cases of embezzlement are similar to the one mentioned above. An employee who has access to an employer’s credit cards or bank account will siphon money from their employer over time. Family members, investors, professionals, and board members can also face embezzlement charges related to the property they are supposed to be managing. Embezzlement can include:
- Issuing unauthorized are forged checks
- Unauthorized transfer of funds or withdrawal of funds
- “Cooking the books” by changing the accounting to cover up for embezzlement
- Paying fake vendor accounts
- Any other type of employee theft
In Illinois, when a defendant embezzles property valued between $100,000 and $500,000, prosecutors will charge the defendant with a Class 1 felony, which carries a $25,000 fine and up to a 15-year prison sentence. When the property involved is valued at over $500,000 but less than $1 million, the defendant will be charged with a Class 1 non-probation felony, which carries a four to 15-year prison sentence and a $25,000 fine. Finally, when the property’s value exceeds $1,000,000 in value, the defendant will face a Class X felony charge, punishable by a prison sentence between six and 30 years.
Contact an Experienced Criminal Defense Lawyer
When you are facing embezzlement charges and looking for an attorney, experience matters. The criminal defense lawyers at Glasgow & Olsson use our in-depth legal and courtroom knowledge to protect your rights throughout the criminal process. Contact our law firm today to schedule your initial consultation.