Woman pleads guilty to stealing from southwestern Illinois charitable organization
A former official of the charitable organization Call for Help Inc. pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing thousands of dollars from the group, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Illinois.
Kenesha Burlison, 40, of St. Louis, is scheduled to be sentenced on May 26.
Burlison pleaded guilty to theft from an organization receiving federal funds and aggravated identity theft.
Court records said she fraudulently obtained a cashier’s check from Call for Help for nearly $70,000 to make a downpayment on a house. She told the organization she needed the check for the title company and couldn’t get one from her bank because it was closed.
Burlison gave Call for Help a personal check for $70,000 in exchange for the cashier’s check. That check and others she provided in the coming months bounced because of insufficient funds, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
After her termination from Call for Help, where she had started working in 2016 as director of human relations, the organization “discovered that Burlison had also fraudulently submitted requests for reimbursements that she was not entitled to from the organization that exceeded $100,000. These reimbursements were paid to Burlison,’’ a press release from U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft’s office said.
Court documents said Burlison, in connection with her mortgage application, submitted fraudulent income verification with a forged signature of the director of quality assurance at Call for Help.
Call For Help is a charitable organization based in East St. Louis that ``helps people overcome a variety of personal crises, ranging from sexual assault and poverty to homelessness and mental health issues,” the release states.
“Federal charges carrying a mandatory minimum prison sentence were appropriate here because the defendant stole so much money that would have provided needed services to vulnerable victims, including sexual assault survivors and the homeless,” Weinhoeft said in the release.
The theft charge carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $250,000. Burlison also faces a mandatory two-year prison sentence for aggravated identity theft.
A federal district court judge will determine Burlison’s sentence after considering sentencing guidelines and other factors.
