The Attorney General for the state of Illinois announced recently that three individuals formerly in the employ of a county circuit clerk’s office have been arrested on suspicion of theft. Each of the three indicted individuals faces at least one felony charge for allegedly conspiring to steal cash bond payments from the office. An investigation is still underway, and so far, no one has been convicted of a crime.
According to the prosecution’s case, the three individuals — all of whom wielded positions of authority at the clerk’s office — conspired together to steal cash bonds and defraud taxpayers. Details of their alleged wrongdoing were not included in this report, but it has been confirmed that all three have been arrested on multiple charges. The alleged thefts were apparently taking place between 2008 and August of last year.
Each individual involved faces charges including theft, conspiracy and official misconduct. The Attorney General believes the individuals used their influence to effect these alleged crimes, although no account has been made of any evidence that has come to light in the investigation. No trial date has yet been announced for any of the three arrested individuals.
Conspiracy to commit theft, while a felony charge, is not easy to prove. Illinois prosecutors will have to find adequate evidence to document that all three individuals intended to or actually did steal money from their employer and, therefore, the taxpayers of this state. As a result, the defense for each individual may benefit from careful scrutiny of any evidence the prosecution proposes to offer against them at trial.
Source: rockrivertimes.com, “Former county officials charged with theft”, , Sept. 19, 2014