A former accounting clerk was sentenced to 11 years in prison for stealing more than $1 million from her Illinois employer.
The ex-clerk, Jonah Bantug, used the money to bankroll her gambling addiction at Illinois riverboats and during trips to Las Vegas, and other purchases such as flat-screen TVs, “enough diamonds to wear on every finger and toe,” and gifts for relatives, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Bantug also was ordered to pay $1,127,538 in restitution, which the judge conceded she has little chance of doing, according to the report. That was the total amount she obtained by forging company officials’ names on 287 checks.
“You systematically looted the company for two years and made it your personal bank,” Judge George Bakalis reportedly stated. “You don’t understand the extent of the damage you have done.”
Bantug had pleaded guilty in November to embezzling the money from FastTrak Application Development Co. from May 2004 until August 2006.
Company officials testified that the firm is closing and is unable to fully pay out severance packages, pension plans, and benefits for more than 100 employees, the Tribune reported.