Former Municial Treasurer In Illinois Charged With Embezzling More Than $1 Million Over 20 Year Period

From the Cook County State's Attorney's Office on 8/15/2013:

The former treasurer of a suburban township school district that manages finances for multiple school districts and agencies in the western suburbs has been charged with stealing more than $1 million dollars from the organization over a 20 year period, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez announced today.

Robert Healy, 54, of LaGrange Highlands, served as the Treasurer of the Lyons Township Trustees of Schools for 24 years from 1988 through 2012.  He has been charged with Theft of Governmental Property, a Class X felony and Official Misconduct, a Class 3 felony for allegedly bilking the organization of  more than $1.5 million. If convicted, Healy faces up to 30 years in prison.  Healy resigned his position in September 2012.

The Lyons Township School’s Treasurer’s Office, located in LaGrange Park, manages more than $280 million in public funds on behalf of 13 school districts and agencies in the western suburbs of Cook County, including Western Springs, LaGrange Park, Lyons, Summit/Argo, LaGrange Highlands, Willow Springs, LaGrange, Burr Ridge, and Justice.  The districts serve over 21,000 school children.

According to prosecutors, the defendant was responsible for maintaining and managing all monies, books and papers belonging to the 13 schools districts and agencies under his control.  This process required Healy to invest school funds and to manage payroll for the 13 school districts and agencies. In his capacity as treasurer, the defendant was entrusted with access to school district funds, and authorized to sign checks and make withdrawals from school district bank accounts for legitimate school business.

Beginning in late 1989 and continuing through April 2012, prosecutors allege that Healy added unauthorized compensation to his bi-monthly paychecks, or issued himself additional salary and benefits totaling $630,346.78.  In addition, from February 2002 through April 2011, the defendant is alleged to have made 105 unauthorized wire transfers out of the Lyons Township Schools’ bank account to his personal bank account totaling $900,853.32.  Healy also made an unauthorized wire transfer in July 2011 to purchase a luxury automobile in the amount of $7,547.51 toward the down payment on the vehicle’s lease.

According to court documents, the total of all unauthorized payments made by defendant, either by check or wire to the defendant or on his behalf was $1,538,747.61.

Healy was arrested on Wednesday and appeared for a bond hearing today at the George Leighton Criminal Courts Building in Chicago, where Cook County Judge James Brown set his bail at $100,000 and continued the case to September 4, 2013.