States Attorney
WOMAN CHARGED WITH STEALING $1 MILLION FROM EMPLOYER
WHEATON – DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett announced today that a 43 year-old woman has been charged with stealing approximately $1 million from her former employer over slightly more than a two-year period.
Named in a four-count indictment is Jonah Bantug, (d.o.b. 4/7/1964) of 1019 Northwestern Avenue, Davis Junction, IL. Bantug, a four-year employee of FastTrak Application Development Co. in Addison, faces one count of Theft over $500,000 and three counts of Forgery.
The indictment alleges that between May 2004 and August 2006, Bantug, an accounts payable clerk at FastTrak, wrote herself hundreds of checks from the company’s bank account. In addition, the indictment alleges that she used company credit cards to make personal purchases. The scheme was uncovered by a co-worker who discovered credit card statement discrepancies while Bantug was away on vacation. Company officials contacted the Addison Police Department who launched an investigation into the matter.
“For the second time in just over two weeks, my office is prosecuting an employee theft involving a significant amount of money,” commented Birkett. “White collar crime is one of the most difficult crimes to detect. The accused, often times a trusted member of the organization, is extremely familiar with the victim’s financial procedures and knows how to falsify records to avoid suspicion. I would like to commend the leadership at FastTrak for uncovering this fraud and for bringing it to our attention. I would also like to thank the Addison Police Department, particularly Detective Scott Sullivan, for his work in putting an end to Ms. Bantug’s scheme.”
Theft over $500,000 is a Class 1 non-probationable felony punishable by 4-15 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). Forgery is a Class 3 Felony punishable by 2-5 years in IDOC.
Members of the public are reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not proof of a defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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