A Chicago woman and president of the local middle school PTA group has been charged with felony theft and forgery after police discovered she stole money from the PTA funds.
Arlington Heights Police Sgt. Joe Pinnello said that 48-year-old Denise Hoppe was charged last week with theft and forgery, which are both serious felonies.
Lori Bein, superintendent of Arlington Heights School District 25, told the Chicago Tribune that Hoppe was actually the PTA president for South Middle School.
According to court documents, the alleged theft initially took place in July 2013, but Hoppe’s thievery wasn’t discovered until a new PTA treasurer took over this spring.
Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney David Shin and court records both say that Hoppe stole approximately $1,400 of money meant to go toward funding the PTA and deposited the large sum into her own personal bank account.
“She did steal money from the PTA when she was in position of authority,” said Pinnello.
Authorities also claim that the former PTA president even used one of the checks to pay rent to her landlord. She allegedly forged his name on the check before depositing it into his bank account.
Before being arrested and charged with the felonies, Hoppe had actually been working part-time for the police department and park district in a counselor program.
However, she has since been fired from that job in light of the charges against her, Pinnello told the Chicago Tribune.
According to court records, Hoppe left her position as the PTA president in June. On June 3, the PTA notified Arlington Heights police about their former president’s possible crime.
She was arrested Thursday on one count of theft greater than $500, but less than $10,000, and one count of forgery. Officials said Hoppe’s bond was set at $50,000.
Bein said the discrepancy was discovered when PTA members realized their financial records just weren’t adding up right.
“The PTA has checks and balances in place and upon review of their books, discrepancies were found and they reported their findings to the Arlington Heights Police Department,” Bein said. “The PTA is an entity separate from Arlington Heights School District 25. They have their own PTA bylaws and financial procedures. Those procedures were successful implemented.”
She added that District 25 officials have been cooperating fully with police, but she still wasn’t sure just how much money Hoppe stole.
“District 25 and the PTA greatly appreciate the dedication of the PTA volunteer members and their commitment to the children of District 25,” she said.
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