Geneva women accused of taking $400K in grants for personal use

Two Geneva women are facing federal fraud and theft charges after prosecutors claim they used grant money for their personal benefit.

Federal prosecutors said Patricia Murphy, 66, and Susan F. Field, 62, used some $400,000 of the nearly $1 million in education grant funds awarded to Chicago's Beacon Street Gallery between May 2004 and June 2010 to pay for household expenses, car payments, personal travel and medical treatments.

Murphy is named as the gallery's director and Field is listed as a member of the board in the indictment, but on the gallery's website, the pair are listed as co-directors. The women were charged with mail fraud, wire fraud and theft of federal funds late Tuesday.

Prosecutors claim the women were reporting the funds were used on education programs in Chicago elementary schools when they did not do any such work.

Murphy and Field could not immediately be reached for comment.

“This indictment alleges that these defendants not only abused their positions of trust for personal gain, but did so at the expense of young students who relied on those funds for needed academic enrichment activities,” said Thomas Utz Jr., special agent in charge of the U.S. Department of Education's Inspector General's Central Regional Office.

If convicted, the women face a maximum of 20 years behind bars and will have to repay any proceeds they misappropriated.