Former Hanover Township welfare director charged with theft
Just one day before her scheduled release from a yearlong prison stay, Hanover Township's former welfare services director is facing a new legal battle.
Aurea Picasso will be transported this morning to the Criminal Courts Building in Chicago for a bond hearing on allegations she stole $193,000 from various township funds.
The Aurora woman is charged with theft from a government entity, Cook County state's attorney's office spokeswoman Sally Daly said. A conviction carries a prison sentence of between six and 30 years.
Picasso is the 11th person charged since May in Operation Cookie Jar, a state's attorney's office initiative that aims to halt public corruption.
“There are so many levels of government in Illinois, particularly in Cook County, and we're making great progress in a short amount of time to crack down on corruption at the local level,” Daly said.
State's attorney's investigators said that in her role as welfare services director from September 2003 to May 2009, Picasso stole $193,000 from Hanover Township, the township's food pantry fund, and a Salvation Army account the township had access to for emergencies.
In May, the Daily Herald wrote about the investigation into allegations of theft by Picasso, as well as procedural changes township officials have made aimed at preventing corruption through additional oversight.
In an interview during her current incarceration at Dwight Correctional Center, Picasso denied ever stealing in her capacity as welfare director. She has been jailed for identity theft unrelated to her former job in Hanover Township.
Hanover Township Supervisor Brian McGuire first noticed possible financial discrepancies shortly after taking office in May 2009. Daly credited him and other township officials for bringing concerns of missing funds to the state's attorney's attention, and for their subsequent cooperation.