Wayne woman accused of embezzlement
A Wayne woman is accused of embezzling more than $42,000 from an Elmhurst-based ambulance company.
But her legal woes don't end there. The investigation into the missing money led to more charges that she forged a letter on the company's stationery about community service she'd been ordered to do from a drunken driving conviction.
DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett announced Thursday the charges against Teresa Wolande, 51, of Army Trail Road following a grand jury's indictment.
The indictment alleges Wolande wrote checks from Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Services' bank account to pay for vacations, car repairs and her personal taxes.
The home at her address is valued at $4.8 million, according to the St. Charles Township Assessor's office.
Prosecutors also accused the woman of using company credit cards to make other unauthorized personal purchases while she served as the company's chief financial officer.
The alleged scheme unraveled after Superior officials discovered discrepancies in their accounts between May 1, 2009 and July 15, 2010 and conducted internal audits, according to court records. The company turned over the results of the audit to Birkett's office, and charges were pursued.
In all, Wolande is facing charges for felony theft, continuing a financial crimes enterprise, identity theft, obstructing justice and forgery. The two latter charges stem from allegations that she forged documents claiming she had successfully completed a court-ordered community service agreement following her 2008 guilty plea on drunken driving charges.
According to court records, Wolande who was then known as Teresa Pahl pleaded guilty to drunken driving and drving too fast for conditions.
Court papers state that Wolande was living in Glen Ellyn and was arrested Dec. 3, 2007 after she drove her car into a neighbor's car and struck a teenage boy, who happened to be exiting the other car at the time of the crash. The boy suffered minor injuries, family members said. Court documents state that Wolande's blood-alcohol content was .158, almost twice the legal threshhold, following her arrest.
As part of her guilty plea in July 2008, Wolande agreed to perform 60 hours of public service and pay a $2,750 fine.
Prosecutors say instead of performing the work, Wolande forged the signature of her company's vice president on Superior letterhead and sent the letter to the county's probation department. The letter stated Wolande had volunteered 72 hours and taught 15 classes as part of a community outreach program offered at high schools and vocational centers that promotes medical services careers.
Prosecutors said they expect Wolande to turn herself in today and appear in court for a bond hearing.