Elgin woman gets jail, probation for DuPage credit union theft
An Elgin woman will serve jail time and probation for stealing more than $3,000 from a nonprofit credit union that serves DuPage County government workers.
Hermila Garcia, 34, also must pay back the $3,875 she took from the DuPage County Employees Credit Union in Wheaton, a judge has ruled.
Garcia was a teller at the credit union for seven years before her September arrest on felony theft charges.
Authorities said she swiped money from her drawer last summer and filled out paperwork falsely indicating she deposited it into a vault.
Authorities said the thefts came to light after an audit at the nonprofit, which offers loans and other financial services to county workers.
Garcia, of the 1600 block of Alison Drive, pleaded guilty to felony theft last week and was sentenced by DuPage Judge Kathryn Creswell to two years of probation, 24 days on jail work-release and restitution, according to court records. Her jail term begins Aug. 9.
As an added condition, Garcia must be employed or further her education. She could have faced up to five years in prison if convicted of the theft charge at trial.