A woman who stole $66,000 from a youth baseball league in McHenry in 2017 has been arrested again after allegedly stealing $280,000 from a business near Woodstock.
Kelly M. Ference, 39, of McHenry, was charged with theft over $100,000, forgery, deceptive practices and identity theft over $100,000.
McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Communication Specialist Emily Baker said Ference stole approximately $280,000 from American Ad Bag in unincorporated Woodstock.
The company produces custom-printed non-woven, paper and plastic bags.
Baker said Ference deposited checks addressed to the company to her personal bank account.
She was employed by the business, which discovered the theft during an audit.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges Ference stole a total of $280,252.33 in the scheme.
The complaint said Ference deposited 160 checks into her own account from January 10, 2023, to July 31, 2024.
The checks were sent to American Ad Bag from its customers.
The complaint said American Ad Bag uses an endorsement stamp, which advises to only deposit the check into the company’s operating account.
That stamp was missing from the checks that Ference allegedly cashed into her own account, indicating the checks were not authorized to be deposited to her, the complaint said.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and charges were approved against Ference on November 21.
A warrant was issued and Ference was taken into the custody of the McHenry County Jail last Monday.
She was released from custody after McHenry County Judge Carl Metz imposed conditions of her pre-trial release.
Ference is scheduled to appear in court again on December 31 for a status of preliminary hearing.
In December 2017, Ference was arrested after police said she stole more than $66,000 from the McHenry Baseball Association where she was the treasurer.
Authorities said that Ference cashed 77 checks between July 18, 2016, and July 27, 2017, which totaled $66,636, into her personal account.
Court records show Ference was sentenced to three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections in that case after pleading guilty to a Class 2 felony theft charge. She was also ordered to repay the stolen money.