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* Howard Feldman, the defense attorney for former Secretary of State employee Candace Wanzo, during Wanzo’s sentencing hearing for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the state…
“As a crime, this makes no sense,” Feldman said. “What she’s lost in pension benefits far exceeds what she ever would have gained.”
Wanzo got 18 months in prison and was ordered to pay more than $72,500 in restitution. She was making about $87K working for the SoS.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 1:33 pm
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Previous Post: 1,778 new confirmed and probable cases; 40 additional deaths; 2,055 hospitalized; 483 in ICU; 3 percent average case positivity rate; 3.8 percent average test positivity rate; 70,063 average daily doses; 85 percent of 65+ have received at least one dose
Next Post: Pritzker: “Bridge phase” to begin week from tomorrow, full state reopening should happen June 11
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So if I read this right
== The estimated loss is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, but prosecutors say the total amount that Candace Wanzo, who served 15 months in the 1990s for previously embezzling $233,000 from Southern Illinois University, never will be known. ==
So she had a previous conviction and did time?
Comment by OneMan Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 1:43 pm
OneMan -
Standard State of Illinois pre-employment criminal background checks do not pick up federal convictions.
https://www2.illinois.gov/eec/Documents/04.12.18%20IDFPR_Woodrum%20Released%20Report.pdf
Comment by Anyone Remember Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 1:44 pm
= So she had a previous conviction and did time? =
Yes. Not a good look for Secretary White to have hired this person.
Comment by cover Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 1:47 pm
Why would anyone hire a state employee formerly convicted of embezzlement from the state?
How did no one at SoS realize this was happening for years?
Zero employees kicked this cash issue up the chain?
Just wow.
Comment by Miso Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 1:50 pm
She stole hundreds of thousands of dollars? How is that possible? How did it go unnoticed?
Comment by Just Me 2 Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 1:52 pm
Strange how the Illinois politician who is supposedly more popular than Abraham Lincoln escapes accountability for putting a convicted felon, who served time for embezzling almost a quarter million dollars, in charge of handling cash in the Secretary of State’s office.
Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 1:56 pm
The only thing missing is if this was announced on a Friday.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 1:57 pm
===to have hired this person===
White is a strong believer in second chances. Sometimes, that doesn’t work.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 1:58 pm
- Lucky Pierre -
Can’t beat someone with no one…
Jesse White *is* beloved. The teflon part comes with that.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 1:59 pm
That sentence ticks me off. Someone with a great-paying job steals from her employer for years, and gets a light sentence because she is a respectable church-goer with friends and family. To me that context makes the crime even more indefensible. A burglar who stole a tenth of that much would likely have gotten a much stiffer penalty.
Comment by KSDinCU Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 1:59 pm
The Director of Vehicles that she reported to was asleep at the wheel. To make it even worse, this Director retired last year and is now still at SOS on a nice high dollar contract. SMH
Comment by Cubs 2021 Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 2:02 pm
===Not a good look for Secretary White to have hired this person.===
I’m sure she came highly recommended.
Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 2:08 pm
While it’s nice that SOS White believes in 2nd chances, but if hiring her with her previous record of embezzlement, then–just possibly–you may want to either monitor this new hire in the supervisory role or do not have her overseeing cash flow, deposits at the local SOS office etc.
Comment by Pizza Man Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 2:09 pm
@ 47th ward…highly likely.
Comment by Pizza Man Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 2:11 pm
Any comment from Alexi?
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 2:12 pm
She’s lucky that she didn’t get prosecuted in State court. Under Illinois law, theft of government funds in excess of 100k is a Class X felony, with a minimum sentence of 6 years.
Comment by SouthSide Markie Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 2:18 pm
Give credit to the Secretary for the noble pursuit of giving people second chances but not for putting them in charge of handling large amounts of cash without oversight for almost a decade.
Astonishing it took that long to uncover this
Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 2:26 pm
===“The defendant bullied, intimidated and coerced her staff to further her corrupt scheme by threatening to have them transferred or even terminated,” Harris said. ===
This statement that highlights that apparently her peers and superiors at the Secretary of State’s office didn’t attempt to address a toxic management style. A toxic management style that was used to cover up her literal criminal wrong doing.
Toxic management is bad. Failing to address this toxic management at the Secretary of State’s office like they should have allowed these crimes to go unnoticed.
If there’s anything that’s consistent across executive branches in Illinois it’s that no one seems interested in actually training and developing managers and even fewer people are interested in eliminating toxic management practices.
It sounds like they should have fired her from her role well before she was found to be stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from us.
===Any comment from Alexi? ===
Thanks for the literal laugh out loud.
Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 2:31 pm
Alexi: “she would have fit right in with those talents at our Broadway Bank!”
Comment by Pizza Man Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 3:01 pm
Alexi: “$72,500 is only a drop in the bucket compared to how much Bright Start money I took from kids.”
Comment by EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham Thursday, May 6, 21 @ 6:12 pm