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Ex-Oak Brook accountant charged in $300,000 theft

In five years, Shaun Horan padded his income by nearly $300,000 by writing checks to himself from his employer’s bank account, prosecutors said in court Wednesday.

The 31-year-old Aurora man appeared in DuPage County bond court on a felony theft charge. He’s accused of taking the money from Resource One in Oak Brook between 2007 and 2011, while working there as a bookkeeper.

Assistant State’s Attorney Joe Baumann said Horan wrote $286,000 in unauthorized checks to himself and took steps to cover his tracks. A co-worker reviewing bank records uncovered the thefts in December, authorities said. By that point, they said, Horan had spent some of the money on a new car and a down payment for a house.

Judge Elizabeth Sexton set bail Wednesday at $250,000, meaning Horan would have to post $25,000 to bond out of the county jail. Horan told the judge he is married with two children and has been working for a Chicago-based staffing service for about the past three months.

“White collar crimes, such as what is alleged in this case, can not only pose a great hardship to the victim, but can have an enormous impact on society as well,” State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement. “When a company is defrauded, it must make up for its losses by raising costs, which ultimately means higher prices for consumers.

“Additionally, this can also result in less pay for employees and even job losses. The effect can continue to ripple when it comes to those employees who now find themselves unable to pay off loans, and credit becomes harder to obtain.”

If convicted, Horan could face four to 15 years in prison but also could receive probation. He is next scheduled to appear next month before Judge Robert Kleeman.

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