EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — A woman pleaded guilty to a federal theft charge after she was caught embezzling from an Illinois school district.
Linda J. Johnson, 58, from Waterloo, Illinois, worked in the Dupo Community Unit School District #196 from 2020 to 2022.
Johnson was responsible of depositing cash and checks into the district's bank account. The money was for student athletics, clubs and extracurricular activities.
The FBI said she would prepare two sets of deposit slips. One set showed the correct amount of money she was to deposit, and the second showed only the amount of the checks. She used this system to conceal the theft.
The school lost $135,566.80.
Johnson was scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 27, 2025. She faces up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000.
The Dupo Police Department and the FBI Springfield Field Office conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Weinhoeft prosecuted the case.
