The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
At her pre-conference hearing (May 17, 2002), Janice E. Ford, 52 of Stronghurst, indicted for embezzlement at the Bank of Stronghurst, was questioned by prosecuting U.S. Assistant Attorney Jeff Lange, and was asked to give her plea.
Before the Honorable Michael M. Mihm, United States District Judge in Rock Island District Federal Court, and before her federal public defender, Attorney George Taseff, Ford gave her plea of guilty to charges of embezzling approximately $232,500 over a ten year period.
The indictment, filed February 21st, 2002 by Jan Paul Miller United States Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, alleges during the period from February 22,1992 through August 2, 2001, Ford, as an employee of the Bank of Stronghurst, embezzled approximately $232,500 in bank deposits which were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
A Jury trial that had been scheduled for June 3rd was dropped and a sentencing hearing was set for August 23rd at 9:00 A.M. A Presentence report is being gathered.
According to the Clerk's minutes, Ford was questioned and asked to state what she did.
The court asked her for her plea to the charges that alleged that she, " knowingly and with intent to injure and defraud," had embezzled approximately $232,500.
An estimated 12-18 months was talked about as a possible sentence if the pre-sentence report comes back with a clean record. No one would confirm an official amount of time.
Although funds were taken prior to the statute of limitation (10 years), an exact amount has not been disclosed by Chuck Vaughn, Bank of Stronghurst CEO. Vaughn replied when asked about the total amount, "All money taken has been refunded," and he didn't feel their insurance company may want the amount disclosed. "They've been very good to work with," he said.
Vaughn also was just glad to have the case resolved, so they can move on.
Victims who suffered funds missing from their accounts are kept informed of the U.S. District court procedures regarding Ford. This is done by the victim advocates and criminal justice professionals who work to meet the needs of crime victims. In this case, Susan Stewart Lodmall is the advocate for victims, the clerk of the court said.
The U.S. Department of Justice supports efforts to assist crime victims at the Federal, state and local levels, and administers the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) as well as the Crime Victim's Fund.