Elmhurst church treasurer gets 3 years for theft
A DuPage County judge has sentenced an Elmhurst man to three years in prison for stealing more than $54,000 from a church where he was volunteering as treasurer.
DuPage County prosecutors say 54-year-old Robert Drefs was sentenced on Friday for the thefts from Messiah Luthern Church in Elmhurst. Prosecutors say Drefs wrote himself unauthorized checks from a church bank account and used the money for personal uses. The scheme last for nearly two years, from 2008 to 2010.
The church discovered the thefts when an internal audit found discrepancies in its books.
Drefs was indicted in March 2011 and this past March entered a blind plea of guilty to one count of felony theft. Drefs must serve half of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
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