Thread: Former Hanover Township Welfare Director Sentenced to Six Ye

Former Hanover Township Welfare Director Sentenced to Six Years in Prison
Updated: Wednesday, 03 Aug 2011, 4:49 PM CDT
Published : Wednesday, 03 Aug 2011, 4:47 PM CDT

Sun-Times Media Wire

Hanover Township, Ill. - Aurea Picasso, the former welfare director of northwest suburban Hanover Township pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing more than $193,110 in funds for dental work, car insurance, cell phones and her daughter’s ‘Sweet 16’ birthday party.

Picasso, 45, formerly of Aurora, pled guilty to one count of theft of government funds over $100,000 and sentenced to six years in prison during a court appearance on Wednesday, according to a release from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office.

Picasso served as welfare director for Hanover Township from 2003 until 2009, the release said. The department was responsible for providing welfare checks to the needy and also ran a food pantry.

Picasso had access to the township’s checkbooks as well as an additional checking account provided by the Salvation Army for emergency situations, the release said. She allegedly wrote $124,560 in checks from these accounts to pay for dental work, car insurance, cell phones, and expenses for her daughter’s ‘Sweet 16’ birthday party.

She is also accused of enrolling family, friends, and others for welfare benefits, forging their signatures and depositing the $68,550 worth of funds in her bank account, the release said.

In 2009, when a new administration took over, officials became suspicious that funds had been diverted and contacted the state’s attorney’s office, the release said.

Picasso is alleged to have stolen $193,110 in township funds, the release said.

In October 2010, Picasso was arrested a day before she was scheduled to be released on parole from Dwight Correctional Facility where she has been serving a prison sentence for an unrelated identity theft case.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/me ... t-20110803

October 25, 2010 9:23 PM | 17 Comments | UPDATED STORY
A former northwest suburban township official who was responsible for doling out welfare checks and food to the needy has been charged with pilfering almost $200,000 to pay for her daughter's "Sweet 16" birthday party, her utilities and other personal expenses.

Aurea Picasso was hired as the welfare director for Hanover Township in 2003 while she was awaiting trial on charges she stole $25,000 in state welfare funds during her previous job as a caseworker for the Illinois Department of Human Services, Cook County prosecutors said in announcing the latest charges against her.

Picasso was scheduled to be paroled from state prison Tuesday for an unrelated conviction for identity theft that took place after she left the township job, authorities said.

Brian McGuire, the Hanover Township supervisor, said he took office in May 2009 and fired Picasso the next day for an unrelated matter. He said the thefts came to light after Picasso had been fired.

The day after Picasso's successor began working, she "called me and said, 'Hey, I hope you're sitting down because they shredded everything before they left,'" McGuire said. "She said (other employees) told her they had a shredding party."

McGuire said he contacted the Cook County state's attorney's office in June 2009 and outlined his suspicions in a series of letters. He said his office later turned over boxes of checks to investigators and estimated the amount of the theft could be far greater than the $193,000 alleged by prosecutors.

McGuire alleged that after Picasso was hired in 2003 to oversee the welfare department's $400,000 annual budget, she was allowed to report directly to then-supervisor William E. Kelly. Before that, trustees had overseen the welfare spending and were allowed to obtain detailed information, but that stopped after Picasso's hiring, McGuire said.

James Barr, who has run the township office's day-to-day operations since last year, said that while working with county prosecutors, the office discovered that Picasso had authorized a criminal background check be done on herself following her hiring in September 2003. It could have alerted the township to the pending charge against her at the time.

"But there was no evidence that it had ever been performed," Barr said.

A month after the hiring, Picasso pleaded guilty to one count of theft of state welfare funds and was sentenced to two years of probation.

Kelly, who was the Hanover Township supervisor during Picasso's alleged six-year theft scheme, didn't return e-mails or calls Monday seeking his comment on the latest charges against Picasso. Kelly, an attorney who now serves as the mayor of Bartlett, has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

On Monday, a day before she was scheduled to be released from state prison for the identity theft conviction, Picasso, 45, of Aurora, was ordered held on a $300,000 bail on the new theft from government charge, a Class X felony punishable by 6 to 30 years in convicted.

Prosecutors alleged that Picasso wrote almost $125,000 in checks to pay for personal bills ranging from dental work and car insurance to cell phones and her daughter's birthday party. This money allegedly came from the checking accounts of the township, its food pantry as well as one provided by the Salvation Army for emergencies.

Prosecutors also charged that Picasso placed her relatives and friends on welfare rolls, then forged their signatures on an additional $68,550 in welfare checks and deposited them in her personal bank account.

Picasso is the 11th defendant to be charged in the ongoing county "Operation Cookie Jar" probe of government thefts.

In a statement, State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said the thefts of township funds "intended to help families who needed food or welfare assistance may be a new low in Cook County corruption."

-- Matthew Walberg

http://archive.chicagobreakingnews.com/ ... 00000.html

now I know why the American can not get help?
what are they goint to do now ?
they should pay it all back . how many more are doing the same thing
I told you to check them out .yes the one that work for the welfare also
& the one that are on welfare . they alway check everyone back in the 30& 40. do thesame thing & don't say you don't have the time
that all you do have is time . it our money . do you job
check every one out
No amnesty

This is one of those cases that the "three strikes..you're out" would come in handy......