Former East St. Louis library director sentenced in $102,000 federal fraud case

A former director of the East St. Louis Public Library was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison after admitting she embezzled more than $100,000 from the library and the Illinois Department of Human Services, according to court records.

Kenyada T. Harris, 42, pleaded guilty in March to eight counts of wire fraud, theft from federally funded programs and bank fraud. U.S. District Judge Staci Yandle ordered Harris during an April 21 hearing to pay $102,249 in restitution and sentenced her to two years of supervised release after prison.

“Those who abuse a position of trust and steal taxpayer funds must be held accountable,” U.S. Attorney for Southern Illinois Steven Weinhoeft said. “Public resources belong to the community, not to those who believe they are above the law.”

According to the federal complaint, Harris worked as a public aid eligibility assistant at a St. Clair County family community resource center from March 2022 to March 2023, where she was responsible for issuing LINK cards to low-income residents who needed replacements or new cards. Instead, court records say, Harris used the cards for herself, family members and friends, using 98 different cards and causing losses of more than $10,000.

Harris later became library director in East St. Louis in March 2023. From July 31, 2023, through June 6, 2024, she used the library’s credit card for personal purchases, including vehicle repairs and cash advances, prosecutors said, causing a loss of $91,937.

Attorney Joslyn Anthony Sandifer defended Harris. She could not immediately be reached for comment.

The FBI’s Springfield office public corruption task force and IRS Criminal Investigation led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Howard prosecuted the case.