Former welfare director admits stealing almost $200K in tax money

[alp227]

The former welfare director for Hanover Township pleaded guilty today to stealing almost $200,000 in tax money during her six-year tenure and was sentenced to six years in prison, prosecutors said.

Aurea Picasso, 45, who has been incarcerated since an unrelated conviction in a 2009 identity theft case, pleaded guilty to theft of government funds of more than $100,000 today before Judge Vincent Gaughan in Cook County Criminal Court, who sentenced her to six years in prison in the theft case.

Picasso, formerly of Aurora, was Hanover Township’s welfare director from 2003 until 2009, in charge of providing welfare checks and running a food pantry, prosecutors said. She used the township’s checkbook to pay for $124,560 in dental work, car insurance, cell phones and expenses for her daughter’s “Sweet 16” birthday party, prosecutors said.

full: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-former-welfare-director-admits-stealing-almost-200k-in-tax-money-20110803,0,3540345.story

(found via http://www.drudge.com/news/146931/welfare-director-steals-200k-town)

Welfare recipients have a bad enough reputation without crooks like this woman, whom I hope is NOT related to the painter.

[adhd_what_huh]

1. Drudge can suck my ass....please do not post such crap.

[hobbit709]

4. Which crap? sludge or the facts?

[adhd_what_huh]

7. Tee and then a Hee.......sorry

[alp227]

6. Drudge Report, Drudge ReTORT, two very politically different sites

The smear site = drudgereport.com

The good site = drudge.com

[Firebrand Gary]

2. Matt can eat shit.

[alp227]

5. no, this is not matt's site, it's a parody of matt's site n/t

[Tejas]

3. More indictments probably to come.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-04-12/news/ct-met-food-pantry-thefts-20110412_1_food-charity-aurea-picasso-hanover-township

As the township's top elected official, Kelly was Picasso's direct supervisor and responsible for reviewing and signing hundreds of checks issued from her department — including those that were part of the alleged thefts.

Kelly apparently never took any action against Picasso, and on June 18, 2009, he told Streamwood police that the charity declined to press charges.