Des Plaines man pleads guilty to ‘staggering’ thefts

A Des Plaines man convicted last year of bilking a North Shore man of $250,000 and writing bad checks to a Schaumburg steakhouse totaling nearly $11,000 pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing more than $130,000 from two other victims.

Alit Khan, also known as Taha Mahmood, was sentenced to three years in prison in exchange for pleading guilty to several thefts and financial exploitation of the elderly. The sentence will run consecutive to the 15-year sentence he received last year for a total of 18 years in prison. Khan received credit for the 848 days he has spent in custody since his arrest. He must complete at least 50 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Cook County Judge Hyman Riebman ordered Khan to pay restitution in the amount of $133,750, more than $115,000 of which is designated to go to Will Harling, a 72-year-old retiree from Palatine who believed he and Khan were going into business together.

“I’m happy he’s going to be in jail a long time,” said Harling, who acknowledges he may never see a dime of restitution.

Another judge previously ordered Khan to pay $250,000 to the North Shore victim and imposed a $25,000 fine on the 28-year-old Khan, who authorities say spent the money he stole on luxury items like pricey dinners, private jets and expensive champagne.

As part of the plea agreement, Khan admitted that in 2007, he paid rent on a Palatine apartment totaling $3,300 with a check he stole from Harling’s home. That same year, he admitted taking a $23,740 check from Harling to rehab a home Harling owned in Arlington Heights, but never did the work and never returned the check. Khan also encouraged Harling to invest $88,400 into a business venture, promising a 10 percent return on the investment, said Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Clarissa Palermo. Khan failed to provide documentation Harling requested and refused to return Harling’s money, Palermo said.

In 2009, Khan offered to refinance another victim’s credit cards for $300, then proceeded to run up an $18,000 bill without permission, Palermo said. She said Khan used the money to purchase a limousine as part of another business venture.

Lastly, Khan admitted stealing about $4,200 worth of shoes, men’s cologne and handbags from Nordstrom’s in Schaumburg in June 2008.

Khan declined to make a statement at his sentencing.

From the bench, Riebman expressed shock at the magnitude of Khan’s crimes.

“The amount of money you stole from these people is staggering. The course of conduct in these cases is staggering,” Riebman said.

The experience took more than a financial toll on Harling. It seriously damaged his faith in people. “I don’t trust anyone other than my family and a few close friends,” he said.