Carpentersville man charged with stealing mom's savings

The consolidation and failure of some banks has caused confusion for some customers.

But that excuse didn't work for an unemployed, 36-year-old registered child sex offender accused of draining some $28,000 from his mother's checking account while living at her home.

Andre C. Sliwa began living at his mother's Carpentersville home in November 2008. According to court documents this is what happened:

He was in charge of retrieving the mail, and after bank statements failed to arrive for several months his mother became suspicious and started asking questions.

Sliwa initially told his mother that her bank recently merged with another one and wasn't sending out monthly statements anymore.

But she later found a batch of bank statements while changing the sheets on Sliwa's bed in the family room.

She also called the bank directly and learned that her checking account balance dropped from $34,000, which was money left from her husband, who died 18 months ago, to just $100.

Police reviewed bank statements and determined the thefts occurred from Dec. 26, 2008, through June 15, court documents said. Many of the transactions were at an ATM at a Carpentersville convenience store.

Police believe Sliwa took $28,000 from the account, court documents said.

His mother told authorities she suspects Sliwa has a drug problem.

If convicted, Andre C. Silwa faces up to seven years in prison.

Judge John Noverini set Sliwa's bond at 10 percent of $50,000 this morning. He is due in court Tuesday, July 7.

The theft allegations aren't Sliwa's only run-in with authorities.

Sliwa was indicted in October 1997 on charges of predatory criminal sexual assault and criminal sexual assault. The victim was 10; he was 23.

Sliwa, who lived in McHenry at the time, pleaded guilty in May 1998 to the criminal sexual assault charge and was sentenced to six months in jail and three years probation. The predatory criminal sexual assault charge was dismissed as part of a plea deal.

In March 2000, his probation sentence was revoked and he was resentenced to five years in prison.

He also was sentenced to three years in prison back in 1993 after pleading guilty to a burglary charge filed a year earlier.

Staff writer Charles Keeshan contributed to this report.