Naperville woman sentenced in $900,000 theft

A Naperville woman accused of stealing nearly $900,000 from an Aurora consulting firm where she was vice president pleaded guilty to a reduced charge Tuesday and was sentenced to probation and jail.

Tami Brown, 53, admitted in DuPage County court to theft of more than $100,000 and was sentenced to two years of probation and six months in jail, according to an agreement with prosecutors. She faced up to 15 years in prison if found guilty of the felony offense at trial.

Brown was accused of illegally charging about $870,000 in personal expenses to a corporate credit card while vice president of operations for Engineering Systems Inc. in Aurora between April 2001 and March 2008.

Assistant State's Attorney Diane Michalak said Brown spent the pilfered funds on dinners, park district passes, grocery delivery, hotel rooms, and “just about any personal expense you could think of.”

As an executive, Brown was one of two employees who had control over the credit card and was responsible for paying it off, prosecutors said.

Michalak said the scheme fell apart when a colleague of Brown's became suspicious and alerted management, which brought in a forensic accountant for its own investigation. Brown later resigned.

ESI subsequently filed a civil suit against Brown and her then-husband, who was not charged criminally, alleging they conspired to defraud the company. Prosecutors said Brown and her former husband have since settled the lawsuit for a little more than $400,000.

Brown left court without comment. But her attorney, Michael Fleming, said she took a plea deal rather than challenge the allegations at trial because it allowed her to avoid prison and continue raising her two children.

“She had a lot to lose,” Fleming said.

Judge George Bakalis accepted the plea, which calls for Brown to serve the first half of her incarceration beginning July 15, and second half in early 2012.

Fleming said his client had no prior criminal history.