Fugitive apprehended in DuPage theft case

Angelo Pesce spent years avoiding the 10-year prison sentence a DuPage County judge imposed on him for bilking an Aurora woman out of more than $93,000.

That ended last week when the former Chicago man was apprehended in Michigan.

DuPage State's Attorney Robert Berlin announced on Tuesday that authorities took Pesce into custody a day earlier to begin serving the sentence related to his 2006 conviction.

"Mr. Pesce mistakenly thought he could avoid responsibility for his despicable actions by simply not showing up to court," Berlin said in a written statement. "He could not have been more wrong."

According to prosecutors, Pesce's scheme began in 2004 when he told the Aurora woman he was a commodities trader who recently sold his company for millions of dollars. He also claimed his assets were frozen by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Pesce then borrowed $93,534 from the victim between June and November 2004, authorities said. He promised to pay the woman back.

Pesce never repaid the money and was charged with two counts of theft by deception. He pleaded guilty to the crime in September 2006.

A month after his guilty plea, Pesce, who was out on bail, didn't show up for a sentencing hearing. When he failed to appear at a December 2006 hearing, a judge sentenced Pesce in absentia to 10 years in prison and issued a warrant for his arrest.

Pesce's whereabouts weren't known until he was detained in Detroit on unrelated charges, officials said.

Berlin said Aurora police and members of his office never gave up.

"They continued looking for Mr. Pesce year after year, knowing that he would ultimately be taken into custody and held responsible for his crime," Berlin said.

Authorities said Pesce will be required to serve half the sentence before being eligible for parole.

In addition, Pesce has been charged with one count of felony violation of bail bond. His next court date is scheduled for March 11.