E. Dundee man sentenced to jail, probation on conviction for stealing from employer

An East Dundee man convicted of fraudulently obtaining $8,000 from his Algonquin employer in 2019 was sentenced Friday to 86 days in jail, 200 hours of public service, and two years of probation.

Charles Vasseur, 33, was found guilty of theft of $500 to $10,000 and forgery, both Class 3 felonies. after a bench trial in August in front of McHenry County judge Michael Coppedge. He was found not guilty of an additional forgery charge.

Vasseur's jail sentence was stayed pending completion of his community service, according to court documents. He also was ordered to pay just over $2,000 in fines and fees.

Vasseur could have been sentenced up to five years in prison.

During sentencing, both prosecutors and defense attorney David Franks noted Vasseur has no criminal history.

Coppedge found Vasseur guilty of fraudulently delivering an $8,000 check to his roommate and having the roommate deposit it. Coppedge said there was not proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Vasseur personally wrote it out.

However, the judge said he believed Vasseur knew he was asking his roommate to deposit a fraudulent check, and having worked for the company just about six months, Vasseur knew he was not owed $8,000 by his former employer.

Vasseur, who also has a St. Charles address listed in court documents, had been accused of stealing a check from the office of his former employer, A OK Chem-Dry in Algonquin, on July 23, 2019, and writing out the check to himself for $8,000 on Sept. 1, 2019, before asking his roommate to deposit the check into his bank account.

His former employer testified during the trial that on Sept. 6, 2019, he received an overdraft alert and notice of possible fraudulent activity from his bank.