Glenview woman charged with theft of more than $110k from Ravinia Festival
The Illinois attorney general’s office has announced charges against a Glenview woman in a case investigated by the FBI involving the theft of over $110,000 from the Ravinia Festival Association.
Michelle Bringham, 39, has been charged with three felonies including theft by deception of over $100,000, theft of over $100,000 and forgery. According to a news release by the attorney general’s office, both theft charges are considered Class 1 felonies with the possibility of 15 years in prison for each count. The forgery charge is a Class 3 felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
The Ravinia Festival Association is responsible for operating Ravinia Festival, an outdoor music venue in Highland Park that hosts performances throughout the summer months. Bringham was employed as an accounting coordinator with the festival where she allegedly wrote checks to fake vendors in order to steal funds.
The news release also stated she used another employee’s signature stamp to authenticate checks without the employee’s permission.
“It is unacceptable for an employee to abuse their position as a fiscal officer to forge checks and steal from a nonprofit organization,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in the news release. “I want to thank the FBI for its work investigating this case. My office is committed to collaborating with law enforcement partners to hold individuals who commit theft and forgery accountable.”
Assistant Attorney General Haley Bookhout is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s Public Integrity Bureau.
