Illinois bookkeeper sentenced for years-long fraud

O'FALLON, Ill. (AP) - A southern Illinois woman has been sentenced to four years in prison for defrauding a book-keeping client out of more than $1 million.

Kathleen Dvorak pleaded guilty in May to wire and bank fraud and was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Benton, Ill. Federal prosecutors said the 61-year-old wrote large checks to herself from the victim's bank account and took cash when depositing checks into the victim's accounts.

From 2012 to 2019, prosecutors estimate she defrauded the client out of more than $1 million. They say she hid the fraud by making false entries into the client's accounting files.

Dvorak also was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 million in restitution to the victim and remain on supervised release for three years following her prison sentence.