Four years for man who wrote fake check to Naperville Catholic school

A former U.S. Treasury Department bank examiner received a four-year prison sentence Monday after pleading guilty to defrauding a financial institution, wire fraud and forgery.

Vincent Arena, 52, of Aurora, defrauded several banks and a Naperville Catholic school out of more than $500,000.

He was arrested in November 2008 after investigators unraveled a complex web of deceit that included a forged court settlement that he used to buy a house in Wheaton and a fake check he created on his home computer to make a $260,000 donation to All Saints Catholic Academy in Naperville. His wife worked at the school as a kindergarten teacher, and the school was raising funds for a new $1.25 million science addition. He forged the check through a financial institution based in Rosemont.

His scheme unraveled when the check bounced. The Joliet Diocese wrote a letter to DuPage County State's Attorney Joseph Birkett seeking help. Birkett credited lead investigator Dave Hamm and prosecutor Helen Kapas-Erdman, the public integrity and financial crimes supervisor, with sifting through the extensive paper trail to make the case against Arena stick.

"Mr. Arena manipulated financial documents and altered official court documents in an attempt to line his pockets and purchase a home at the expense of others," Birkett said. "White collar crime is not a victimless crime. Through his actions, Mr. Arena caused financial hardship to several financial institutions as well as officials at All Saints Catholic Academy who were in reality relying on nonexistent funds."

Arena will be eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence.