Former Office Manager In Lemont Embezzled $2.3M: Feds

LEMONT, IL — The former office manager of a Lemont construction company has been charged with fraud, accused of embezzling more than $2.3 million in company funds, according to he U.S Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois.

Mildred Crowley, 72, of Bourbonnais, is charged with one court of wire fraud after a scheme which spanned from 2009 to 2020, authorities said. According to documents filed Dec. 29, Crowley fraudulently opened a corporate credit card and used it to charge the Lemont-based company for personal expenses.

Crowley’s personal expenses included payments related to a private horse farm and horse show, as well as restaurant meals, department store purchases and travel throughout the United States, authorities said. Crowley is accused of concealing the thefts by falsifying the company’s books and records to misrepresent her unauthorized use of the corporate card.

Arraignment in U.S. District Court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.