Former cheerleading coach charged with embezzling $38,000 from school district in Lake Zurich, Illinois
A former cheerleading coach has been charged with stealing more than $38,000 in school funds from Lake Zurich High School in Chicago's northwestern suburbs.
Gabriele N. Kelly, 26, of Algonquin, has been charged with two counts of theft and two counts of money laundering.
Lake Zurich police said the charges stem from an investigation that began in February 2024, when Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 discovered financial discrepancies in invoices from cheerleading coaches at Lake Zurich High School.
The investigation revealed Kelly had diverted more than $38,000 of school district funds for her own personal use.
Kelly turned herself in on Tuesday, and made her first court appearance, and is due back in court next month for an arraignment hearing.
School district officials said Kelly is no longer employed there.
"The district is proud of the diligence of the Business Department staff in finding and investigating these irregularities and grateful for a strong partnership with the Lake Zurich Police Department," District 95 said in a statement.
