WAUKEGAN, IL — A former accountant who admitted stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a developmentally disabled man was sentenced last week to three and a half years of probation with periodic imprisonment.
Thomas Errico, 81, of Highland Park, was accused of stealing from clients who hired him to prepare their tax returns at the defunct firm of Anspach, Errico & Co., according to the Illinois attorney general’s office, which prosecuted the case.
Errico’s theft was first discovered by the nephew of one of his regular clients.
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While reviewing his 86-year-old developmentally disabled uncle’s bank records, the nephew noticed that, from 2012 to 2016, more than 30 checks — totaling about $343,000 — had been paid to Errico’s accounting firm from his uncle’s account, according to the attorney general’s office.
Errico, who had been hired to file the uncle’s taxes, failed to file or filed incorrect returns in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 tax years. Prosecutors said he gave less than $10,000 of the money to the government and stole the rest.
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The incident was reported to Highland Park police in January 2017. Following a 20-month investigation, Errico was indicted in September 2018 on charges of theft, financial deception of the elderly and theft by deception of more than $5,000 from a senior citizen. Errico…
