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Ex-treasurer pleads guilty to stealing from Illinois town

Posted March 01, 2018 6:00 am

The Associated Press

BENTON, Ill. (AP) - The former treasurer of a small southern Illinois city has pleaded guilty to federal charges he stole thousands in government funds.

The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reports former Zeigler treasurer Ryan Thorpe entered the pleas Thursday. Zeigler city attorney Rebecca Whittington said in court that the missing money totaled more than $320,000. A federal grand jury in October indicted Thorpe on wire fraud and embezzlement charges, accusing him of taking the money between March 2013 and August 2017.

An audit contended Thorpe falsified city accounting records to try to cover up the theft.

Zeigler Mayor Dennis Mitchell says Thorpe's guilty pleas provide some closure, but the theft's impacts will be felt for a long time.

Thorpe is to be sentenced June 1. Zeigler is about 90 miles (144.83 kilometers) southeast of St. Louis.

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Information from: Southern Illinoisan, http://www.southernillinoisan.com

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