Two of three suspects were given plea deals and sentenced to probation and ordered to repay a combined $55,000 after authorities say they stole approximately $700,000 from the Village of Winthrop Harbor.
The Winthrop Harbor Police Department, Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and multiple law enforcement agencies conducted an “extensive” financial crimes investigation, which resulted in March 2025 in three arrests and dozens of charges.
The Winthrop Harbor Police Department began an investigation in February 2024 into the case.
Village officials reported to the police department about unauthorized transactions involving the Village of Winthrop Harbor’s bank account.
The police department alerted the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office Financial Crimes and Public Integrity Division.
The fraudulent transactions, spanning from October 2022 to October 2023, totaled approximately $700,000, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said the bank’s fraud department was able to recover and return a significant amount of the funds to the village.
Lake County Criminal Intelligence analysts and financial analysts from HSI assisted detectives in tracking transactions, finding wire transfers, identifying bank accounts linked to the fraudulent activities and identifying multiple suspects who resided outside of Illinois.
Nationwide extraditable warrants were issued for Phillip Sanders, 30, of Memphis, Tennessee; Vanessa Yarbrough, 30, of Memphis, Tennessee; and Patrick Dickens, 32, of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sanders was charged with theft over $500,000, continuing a financial crimes enterprise, misappropriation of financial institution property, money laundering, structuring a transaction and computer fraud.
Yarbrough was charged with theft over $500,000, continuing a financial crimes enterprise, misappropriation of financial institution property, money laundering and structuring a transaction.
Dickens was charged with theft over $500,000, continuing a financial crimes enterprise, misappropriation of financial institution property, money laundering and computer fraud.
All of the charges are felonies and each suspect faced Class X charges, which carry up to 30 years in prison.
Winthrop Harbor detectives and the Memphis Police Department executed search warrants at multiple locations in Memphis and Jackson, Tennessee, on February 27, 2025.
The warrants resulted in the arrests of Sanders and Yarbrough and the seizure of evidence. Dickens was arrested in Nashville, Tennessee, that same day.
Authorities indicated other suspects were involved in the theft.
Winthrop Harbor Police Chief Anthony Velardi said the investigation took approximately a year to complete with “countless hours being dedicated to it.”
“In cases such as these, with a low solvability factor and where suspects are rarely identified, WHPD detectives were able to charge several offenders with numerous felonies. This is a testament to their investigative skills and dedication to their profession,” Velardi said last year.
“This case would not have had the same outcome without the cooperation of the Lake County State’s Attorneys Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Memphis Police Department, Jackson, TN Police Department, and the Nashville Police Department. I would like to extend my gratitude and thanks for the assistance we received to bring this case to a successful conclusion,” Velardi said.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said the Winthrop Harbor Police Department conducted a “top-notch investigation” and worked with his office so that they could hold the offenders accountable in Illinois.
“Our new Financial Crimes and Public Integrity Division and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to making sure that we protect Lake County residents and taxpayers from such calculated and damaging crimes. But we must continue to invest in our safety infrastructure, and I want to thank the Lake County Board for funding this Unit in 2023,” Rinehart said last year.
Court records show Dickens entered into a negotiated plea deal with the state’s attorney’s office last month.
He pleaded guilty to one count of bribing an employee of a financial institution, a Class 1 felony, in exchange for the rest of his charges being dismissed.
Dickens was sentenced to 36 months of probation and 200 hours of public service as a result of the plea agreement. He was additionally ordered to repay $24,543 in restitution.
Court records show Yarbrough pleaded guilty in late October to one count of theft under $10,000, a Class 3 felony, in exchange for the rest of her charges being dismissed.
Yarbrough was sentenced to 30 months of probation and 200 hours of public service as a result of the plea agreement. She was additionally ordered to repay $31,034 in restitution.
The court case against Sanders remains pending and he is scheduled to appear in court again on May 28 for a case management conference.