Des Plaines woman charged in $370,000 embezzlement scheme

A Des Plaines woman was charged on Wednesday with she stealing more than $370,000 from her employer in a long-term embezzlement scheme.

Shawna Wolff-Geisler, 41 of Des Plaines, has been charged with continuing a financial crimes enterprise and theft, according to a news release from the Cook County state's attorney's office.

From 2007 to 2015, Wolff-Geisler worked in the accounting department for Lincolnwood-based Econocare, a group purchasing organization specializing in medical supplies for long-term care, assisted living and retirement facilities. Authorities said she was responsible for handling accounts receivable and accounts payable. Her job also included preparing checks for authorized expenditures, though she was not authorized to sign checks, according to the release.

After she was fired from the company in August 2015, a financial inspection revealed suspicious checks written on the corporate bank account. The state's attorney's office said there were approximately 80 checks on which she forged the signature of the company's CEO and owner. The checks were deposited directly to Wolff-Geisler's bank account or applied to her account balances for her personal credit cards, according to the release.

Wolff-Geisler was arrested Tuesday and appeared in court on Wednesday where a judge set her bond at $100,000. She will next appear in court on July 6.

Wolff-Geisler faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.