Former Oak Park City Clerk, Husband Charged With Embezzling More Than $400K
OAK PARK (WWJ) -- A former deputy City Clerk and her husband have pleaded not guilty to their arraignment on charges of stealing $400,000 from the city of Oak Park.
City Manager Eric Tungate says he fired Stephanie Sumner after ordering an internal investigation when inconsistencies turned up in city accounts. Tungate called the charges shocking.
"She was a model employee -- that's the other part of this that's shocking," Tungate said. "She was carrying this out while she was performing her job duties very well. That the typical m.o. for this type of individual."
Stephanie and Michael Sumner have been charged with embezzling the money over a two-year period ending in March. The Waterford Township couple could face up to 20 years in prison.
"I'm shocked by the deceit," Tungate said. "As a public servant, it's very important that we uphold a high credo for our residents. I'm shocked that someone would take it upon themselves to do this."
Tungate couldn't go into specifics, but told WWJ Newsradio 950 that the city has recovered all of its lost funds.
"We made an insurance claim, and thank goodness we had coverage on our liability insurance," Tungate said. "So we're not out any funds, but that doesn't change the fact that this individual took it upon themselves to complete this deceit."