Des Plaines District 62 lost $3.2M in fraud scheme, officials say

Des Plaines School District 62 lost $3.2 million in a fraud scheme that was uncovered in May, but officials are recovering a big chunk of the money, authorities announced Thursday.

The stolen money had been intended for a vendor but did not go to the expected recipient, District 62 officials and Des Plaines police said in a joint news release. District 62 employees committed no criminal acts, according to the release.

“Based on our investigation, this is an external criminal matter,” Police Chief David Anderson said in the release.

No arrests have been made, nor have charges been filed, police said. Des Plaines police and the FBI are investigating.

The potential fraud was discovered by the district’s bank and reported to school officials, District 62 spokesperson Jennifer Tempest Bova said. Citing the ongoing investigation, Bova declined to indicate how the money was accessed, but she said no district systems or devices were hacked.

After confirming the activity was unauthorized, District 62 officials called police and took steps to secure the district’s bank accounts.

Since then, $1.2 million of the stolen funds have been returned to the district. An additional $1.2 million has been frozen and will be recovered, the release said, and officials hope to recover the rest of the purloined cash.

“Based on ongoing discussions with the Des Plaines Police Department, the FBI and the district’s financial institution, we remain confident we will recover a significant portion of those funds,” Superintendent Michael Amadei said in the release.

District 62 officials declined to say how the money was located and recovered.