Former Downers Grove banker gets prison for stealing from customers

A former Downers Grove banker was sentenced Monday to four years in prison for stealing more than $328,000 from three elderly customers.

Judge Robert Miller handed down the minimum sentence to Christine Lange, 48, of Summit. Lange had faced between four and 15 years in prison. In addition to her prison sentence, Lange was also ordered to pay full restitution to her employer, who covered the victims' losses.

In exchange for her guilty plea to theft of between $100,000 to $500,000, prosecutors in August dismissed charges of financial exploitation of the elderly, financial institution fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Prosecutors said Lange was employed as an account executive at Trust Company of Illinois in Downers Grove, where she had access to customers' bank accounts.

Between Sept. 19, 2012, and June 9, 2016, Lange transferred money from the accounts of three elderly customers to her own personal accounts. In all, Lange made at least 84 illegal transfers totaling $328,000, authorities said.

Her scheme was discovered in the spring of 2017 as part of an internal TCI audit. All the victims were in their early 90s.

"The crimes (Lange) committed against three elderly women are despicable," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said. "Her simple greed caused unimaginable hardship to her victims who relied on that money for their retirement and everyday living expenses. Unfortunately, the elderly can at times be seen as an easy target when it comes to financial crimes."

Lange receives credit for the week she spent in DuPage County jail in August 2017. She must serve at least half the sentence before being eligible for her two-year parole.