From the U.S,, Attorney:
Former Head of Suburban Chicago Public Library Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Embezzling More Than $770,000
CHICAGO — The former director of the Markham, Ill. Public Library has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for embezzling more than $770,000 from the library over a decade.
From 2009 to 2019, XAVIER MENZIES misappropriated approximately $770,715 from the library.
Much of the money was initially received by the Markham library from the public library district in nearby Posen, Ill., which paid Markham for allowing Posen residents to access the library and use its services.
Menzies opened bank accounts in the name of Markham Public Library and deposited checks made out to the library.
He later withdrew the funds and used the money for personal expenses, including
- mortgage payments,
- ticket purchases, and
- auto repairs.
Menzies concealed the scheme by routinely misrepresenting the library’s financial condition to the Markham Public Library’s Board of Trustees.
As part of the fraud scheme, Menzies also increased his annual salary as library director without the approval or knowledge of the Board of Trustees and continued to receive the higher salary for approximately three years.
Menzies, 52, of Glenwood, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal wire fraud charge.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins imposed the prison sentence and ordered Menzies to pay $770,715 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.
“Fraud such as this one involving the misappropriation of public funds can be difficult to detect and lucrative to the participant,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Prashant Kolluri argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Greed and an arrogant belief that he would not be caught or significantly punished are the only explanations for why Menzies chose to engage in this fraud.”
