A former treasurer of a charitable foundation meant to honor Illinois' finest has admitted to betraying the badge by defrauding the nonprofit of tens of thousands of dollars. LeAnn Shirley, 57, pled guilty to wire fraud charges after funneling roughly $79,000 from the Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation's coffers into a web of personal financial schemes, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.
Shirley, of Springfield's Pinto Drive, fessed up to the theft in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen McNaught on March 7, admitting to transferring the funds back in 2019 while she oversaw the foundation's funds. Federal prosecutors said that Shirley duped bank employees with a story about shipping items for the foundation, even promising reimbursement within weeks, according to the Department of Justice.
The bulk of the stolen money was passed through a Vermont bank account before landing in a third-party cryptocurrency account, leaving the charity short of nearly $74,000. The Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation, which is recognized under Internal Revenue Service Section 501(c)(3), is dedicated to the preservation of the State Police's storied history.
Shirley could face up to 20 years in the slammer, along with a hefty $250,000 fine for her misdeeds. She's slated to hear her fate in sentencing, come July 17 at the U.S. Courthouse, the prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner Jacobs will look to hold this former treasurer accountable, and the FBI's probe into this flagrant abuse of trust ensured the case could be made, officials touted.
While the statutory penalties also include up to three years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment. The final determination of Shirley's consequences will be up to the judge's discretion in July. In the meantime, the Illinois law enforcement community must grapple with the breach of trust committed by one of its own tasked with guarding its legacy.
