Man pleads guilty to stealing $149,000 from employer

A Des Plaines man pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing more than $149,000 from his employer.

Timothy N. Edwards, 38, of the 100 block of South Harvard Street, accepted a sentence of 180 days in jail, two years of probation and 100 hours of community service. He will have to serve 50% of his jail sentence before being eligible for release.

DuPage County Assistant State's Attorney Diane Michalak said that from Nov. 18, 2015, to Oct. 11, 2017, Edwards stole $149,067 from Boise Paper's locations in Bensenville and later Elk Grove Village.

Edwards had been assigned to purchase gift cards to give to customers as part of a promotion. He bought extra cards for himself, Michalak said, even after the customer promotion ended in December 2016.

Some of the electronic gift cards were emailed to his personal email account. Physical cards were mailed to his home, Michalak said. One of the items he purchased with a gift card was replacement license plates for his vehicle, she said.

Edwards agreed to repay Boise Paper.

"This is not without the necessity for punishment," DuPage County Judge Michael Reidy told Edwards. "You took advantage of a lot of people and took a lot of money."

Elk Grove Village police investigated the case.