ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – A 53-year-old Roscoe man is sentenced to seven years in prison for embezzling money from a company that services developmentally disabled persons.
Steven A. Bennett, pleaded guilty in September 2022 to charging thousands of dollars for personal expenses to company credit cards.
Bennett abused the credit cards while serving as an executive director for Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA), a company based in central Illinois that runs homes for developmentally disabled persons living independent lifestyles.
“Accountability is something the Illinois State Police takes very seriously and we will continue to work closely with Attorney General Raoul’s Office to diligently investigate embezzlement cases,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly.
Over the course of three and a half years, Bennet charged the cards meant for expenses associated with CILA homes to supplement personal shopping sprees; $45,000 in purchases from Best Buy, $9,400 to remodel his personal home bathroom, and $8,000 in total for personal trips to Six Flags and St. Louis.
“CILA homes allow Illinoisans who have developmental disabilities to live independently in their communities. It is reprehensible that an individual responsible for caring for some of our most vulnerable residents would use their position to steal and personally benefit,” Attorney General Kwame Raoul said after the sentencing.
The Illinois Attorney General said that Bennett also abused credit cards assigned to employees after they no longer worked for the company, forging documents to make his personal purchases look like legitimate use.
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