Crime & Safety
Geneva Streets Superintendent Charged With Theft—$24,000 in Unauthorized Credit Card Purchases
The Kane County state's attorney authorizes charges of theft, online theft and official misconduct against Geneva Streets Superintendent Steve LeMaire. As of Friday night, LeMaire has not surrendered himself to police.
- Editor's note: An earlier version of this article contained information from a draft of the Geneva Police Department press release. This article has been updated to reflect accurate, up-to-date information about Steve LeMaire's bond and his pending surrender to police.
The Kane County State's Attorney's Office has authorized felony charges against Geneva Streets Superintendent Steve LeMaire for making more than $24,000 worth of unauthorized credit card purchases.
According to a press release issued by the Geneva Police Department at around 4:47 p.m., arrangements are being made to have LeMaire surrender himself to Geneva Police, at which time he will be processed for the charges.
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His bond is set at $25,000, meaning he will have to post 10 percent, or $2,500 bail.
The State’s Attorney’s Office authorized the following criminal charges to be filed against LeMaire:
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- Theft—a Class 1 felony carrying a possible sentence of four to 15 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections with a fine of up to a $25,000.
- Online Theft by Deception—a Class 2 felony with a possible sentence of three to seven years and up to a $25,000 fine.
- Official Misconduct—a Class 3 felony with a possible sentence of two to five years and up to a $25,000 fine.
The city of Geneva suspended LeMaire from work on Jan. 12 pending the outcome of an investigation related to suspicions that he had intentionally misused city funds.
At the request of city officials, the conducted an investigation to determine the validity and extent of the misuse, and whether criminal behavior had occurred.
The misuse of funds originally was discovered on Jan. 11, when Director of Public Works Dan Dinges was reviewing a monthly credit card statement and noticed purchases made by LeMaire that seemed suspicious.
Past purchases were re-examined, revealing many additional purchases made by LeMaire. More than $24,000 in unauthorized purchases were discovered dating as far back as 2004. The press release did not say what items were purchased with the city's credit card.
