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Former District 211 cashier charged with stealing more than $80,000

A sick day a former Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 employee took in September sparked an investigation that led Hoffman Estates police to arrest her on theft charges.

Former cashier Denise Bazsali, 54, of Schaumburg was charged with stealing more than $80,000 from the district where she had worked for 12 years.

Cook County Judge Joseph Cataldo set bail at $75,000 and placed Bazsali on house arrest Friday after a hearing at the Rolling Meadows courthouse.

Prosecutors say Bazsali was out sick on Sept. 11 when a student requested a receipt for a payment made a few days earlier, which prosecutors say Bazsali had handled. A co-worker went to Bazsali's desk and discovered two payments for $150 that had not been entered, prosecutors said.

The co-worker reported the error, which sparked an internal investigation that uncovered $4,500 in transactions under Bazsali's login and password, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Caitlin Casey.

Bazsali resigned, but the investigation continued. Casey said District 211 administrators ultimately uncovered 200 transactions totaling $82,125, dating from March 2014 to September 2017 and distributed to accounts bearing her name, her husband's name and her daughter's name.

"As soon as the district became aware of an initial concern, the employee's access to all financial systems, credit card information and student records was terminated," District 211 director of community relations Tom Petersen said in an email. "Based upon extensive investigation conducted by both the Hoffman Estates Police Department and school officials, we have no indication that any student information or credit card information was compromised."

Bazsali, who has no criminal background, next appears in court on Jan. 12.

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