Former Aurora firefighter credit union president admits theft
The former president of the Aurora Firefighters Credit Union was sentenced to three years of probation, 150 days of electronic home monitoring and 30 days in jail after admitting to stealing from the union.
Anne M. Schaal, 67, of the 0-99 block of Birchwood Court, Sugar Grove, was arrested in September 2012 and accused of stealing $36,000 over a five-year span.
Schaal pleaded guilty last week to felony theft and could be resentenced to up to seven years in prison if she violates her probation, according to Kane County court records.
Schaal stole money from the union to feed a gambling addiction, according to papers filed by her husband for a divorce that was finalized in 2012.
A message left for Cletus Rettenmeier, the CEO of the credit union, was not returned.
Peter Hoffman Sr., the credit union president, declined to comment.
Aurora police said they began investigating Schaal in December 2011 and she was accused of stealing between January 2006 and November 2011.
Under a plea agreement approved by Judge Clint Hull, Schaal must pay $4,565 in court fines and costs and is to have no contact with the union. Her 30-day jail sentence can be cut in half for good behavior.
According to a lawsuit filed by the union against Schaal, she was president from July 1996 through November 2011 and stole the money through using union credit cards and "phantom payments" in the union ledger.
The lawsuit was dismissed in September 2013 after Schaal and the credit union reached an out-of-court settlement, according to court records.
Wade Joyner, an attorney representing the credit union in the lawsuit, said Schaal made a payment to the union to settle claims for damages. Joyner refused to say what Schaal paid.
"The Aurora Firefighters Credit Union accepted what she was willing to do to resolve it," Joyner said.
A message left for Reginald Campbell, who was Schaal's attorney for the criminal case and the lawsuit, was not returned Tuesday.
Schaal's theft case was set for a jury trial March 10.
The credit union represents nearly 600 members.