A man has been sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay restitution of nearly $2 million to an elderly woman who he stole the money from in Cary.
The Cary Police Department said they received a report on August 26, 2023, of a person stealing money from an elderly family member.
The suspect, Douglas Boncosky, 55, of Barrington, was named power of attorney in 2018 over an 80-year-old woman, according to Cary Deputy Police Chief Scott Naydenoff.
The victim, who is a family member of Boncosky, resided in Cary.
Detectives began an investigation and determined that Boncosky unlawfully wrote numerous checks to himself and his business, Americas Best Bath Company, from the victim’s account, Naydenoff and prosecutors said.
He also unlawfully transferred funds to himself and his business from the victim’s account, Naydenoff said.
Naydenoff said evidence obtained showed an estimated $1.9 million was stolen and used by Boncosky for personal gain.
The case was reviewed by the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office, which in October 2023 approved charges of aggravated identity theft, theft exceeding $1 million, financial exploitation and forgery.
The most serious charges against Boncosky were Class X felonies, which carry six to 30 years in prison.
Boncosky was arrested in late October 2023 by the Cary Police Department and transported to the McHenry County Jail.
While the charges by themselves are non-detainable under Illinois’ SAFE-T Act, prosecutors filed a petition to detain Boncosky pending trial under the premise of him being a willful flight risk.
A judge granted the petition to hold Boncosky during a hearing following the arrest.
The judge found that Boncosky had obtained “substantial assets” from the theft and had taken steps to change communication information.
McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Shelby Page said during an initial court hearing that the elderly victim was in a memory care facility and Boncosky was in a position of trust over the woman, who is a family member.
Page argued Boncosky was a willful flight risk as he sold his business and his home and indicated he was going to move to Florida.
He also changed his phone number and indicated he intended to change his name, Page said.
In November 2023, Boncosky filed an appeal of the detention ruling to the Illinois Second District Appellate Court, which rejected his request for release.
Court records show Boncosky entered into a negotiated plea deal with the state’s attorney’s office on Tuesday.
He pleaded guilty to financial exploitation of an elderly or disabled person over $50,000, a Class 1 felony, in exchange for the rest of the charges being dismissed.
McHenry County Judge Tiffany Davis approved the plea deal and sentenced Boncosky to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections pursuant to the plea.
Boncosky was also ordered to pay $1,982,512 to the victim in restitution.