Plea Requires Former Employee to Pay $230,000 in Restitution
Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a suburban Cook County woman pleaded guilty and was sentenced for stealing $230,000 from the Ravinia Festival Association when she was an employee.
Raoul’s office prosecuted Michelle Bringham, 39, of Glenview, Illinois, who pleaded guilty today to one count of theft over $100,000, a Class 1 felony. Lake County Circuit Court Judge Mark L. Levitt required Bringham to pay $230,000 in restitution and sentenced her to two years of probation. As part of her plea, Bringham also agreed to undergo a substance abuse evaluation and treatment.
“Anyone who abuses their position of authority for their own financial gain must be held accountable,” Raoul said. “I would like to thank the FBI for their assistance in investigating this case. My office will continue to collaborate with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate financial crimes and hold perpetrators accountable.”
Raoul charged Bringham in August of 2023 after a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation revealed she wrote checks to a fake vendor to steal funds from the Ravinia Festival Association, a non-profit Bringham worked for as an accounting coordinator. Bringham also used another employee’s signature stamp on checks without the employee’s permission.
The Ravinia Festival Association operates the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park and offers community engagement and education programs.
Assistant Attorney General Haley Bookhout prosecuted the case for Raoul’s Public Integrity Bureau.
