Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced his office charged a Cook County woman with theft and forgery for allegedly stealing more than $110,000 from the Ravinia Festival Association when she was an employee.
The Attorney General’s office charged Michelle Bringham, 39, of Glenview, Illinois, with theft by deception of over $100,000, a Class 1 felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, theft of over $100,000, a Class 1 felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, and forgery, a Class 3 felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Bringham worked as an accounting coordinator with the Ravinia Festival Association, a non-profit that operates the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park and offers community engagement and education programs. According to Raoul, Bringham wrote checks to a fake vendor to steal funds from the association. She also allegedly used another employee’s signature stamp on checks without the employee’s permission.
“It is unacceptable for an employee to abuse their position as a fiscal officer to forge checks and steal from a nonprofit organization,” Raoul said. “I want to thank the FBI for its work investigating this case. My office is committed to collaborating with law enforcement partners to hold individuals who commit theft and forgery accountable.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The public is reminded the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Assistant Attorney General Haley Bookhout is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s Public Integrity Bureau.
