Ex-Springfield school board president sentenced for theft

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - A former president of the Springfield-based Illinois Board of Education was sentenced Tuesday to 11 years in prison for theft.

Adam Lopez, 38, was accused of stealing more than $1.5 million from clients while a financial adviser for the insurance company Country Financial. Among his alleged victims were his maternal aunt and uncle, who were present during sentencing.

Lopez pleaded guilty in May to felony theft. Under an agreement with the Sangamon County state's attorney's office, three counts of financial exploitation of the elderly and a count of financial exploitation of a person with disabilities were dismissed.

Lopez, who served two terms on the District 186 school board, running unopposed in 2013 and 2015. faced up to 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, though with no past criminal history, prosecutors asked the judge for a sentence of 15 years.

In an emotional statement before Associate Judge Rudolph Braud, Lopez apologized to those he stole from between April 2014 and September 2018, and to Sangamon County taxpayers 'œfor all of the time and money spent on this case.'ť

Lopez faced up to 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, though with no past criminal history, prosecutors asked the judge for a sentence of 15 years. With completion of his sentence, Lopez must serve three years of mandatory supervised release. He also must repay $1,533,778.97 to Country Financial.