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An Ashburn woman has been charged with embezzling more than $1.5 million dollars from a small family run manufacturing company where she worked for a more than a decade as a bookkeeper, according to the Office of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.

Julie Nowaczyk, 50, of the 3800 block of West 82nd Place in Chicago, has been charged with Felony Theft, a class one non-probationable offense, following an investigation by the State’s Attorney’s Public Corruption and Financial Crimes Unit and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. Cook County prosecutors today alleged that the defendant stole more than $1.5 million from the company and further analysis found that during the time of the thefts that she had incurred gambling losses exceeding $1.2 million.

According to prosecutors, Nowaczyk had been employed for the last 12 years at ENR General Machining Company in Chicago and for the past 10 years had worked as the company’s bookkeeper. In July of 2010, the company owners suspected losses in their accounts and conducted an analysis of the company’s financial records.

A review of the company’s financial statement revealed that since February of 2006, the defendant had written more than 300 checks to herself and falsely entered them into the company’s ledger payments to vendors or as petty cash. It was also learned that she had made numerous electronic transfers to her credit cards.

The company’s owners contacted law enforcement authorities after discovering that funds had been stolen and an investigation was conducted. As result of the thefts, the company has since struggled to stay afloat and has had difficulty making payroll. According to court documents, the defendant had skipped making payments to the other employee’s 401K accounts and the company owners have had to mortgage their homes to raise additional funds to stay in business.

Nowaczyk appeared in bond court today at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building where a judge set a cash bond of $10,000 and ordered her back in court on Feb. 10.

The public is reminded that charging documents contain allegations that are not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial at which the state has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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