In a case of betrayal and financial deceit within the arts community, a suburban Cook County woman has owned up to swindling the Ravinia Festival Association out of a hefty $230,000. Michelle Bringham, 39, of Glenview, Illinois, fessed up to the felony charge of theft over $100,000 in a Cook County courtroom.
Bringham, who previously dealt with the numbers for the prestigious nonprofit as an accounting coordinator, colluded with a phantom vendor in her scheme to divert funds into her own pockets. According to official statements from Attorney General Kwame Raoul, she abused a position of trust by using a fellow employee's signature stamp without permission to legitimize the fraudulent checks.
Mark L. Levitt, judge of the Lake County Circuit Court, slapped Bringham with two years on probation following her guilty plea. The punishment didn't end there, with the court dictating a restitution payment of the full $230,000, and tacking on an order for substance abuse evaluation and treatment. Attorney General Raoul didn't mince words on holding lawbreakers to account, stating, "Anyone who abuses their position of authority for their own financial gain must be held accountable."
The investigation, spearheaded by the FBI, peeled back the layers of Bringham's dishonesty at Ravinia Festival Association, renowned for its Highland Park music festival and a wide array of community outreach and educational endeavors. In the legal proceedings, Assistant Attorney General Haley Bookhout represented the Public Integrity Bureau, proving that the arm of justice reaches into the seemingly genteel world of arts nonprofit management.
