The Jennifer Lupo theft case in Sun City is nearly three years old. On October 11, it got three months older.
Jennifer Lupo, many Sun Citians may remember, worked in the Finance Department of the community’s staff in 2015. She has been charged with “felony theft – unauthorized control of funds, knowing to deprive more than $10,000 but not exceeding $100,000.” In laymen’s terms, she is charged with making personal purchases and charging them to Sun City community funds.
After more than two years of continuances in Kane County’s Criminal Court, the Lupo case was scheduled for a bench trial before a judge on October 11. This writer checked with the court clerk on Wednesday, the day before, and was told the case was on the court docket for the next day, Thursday. When I arrived at the Kane County Judicial Center in Geneva, I was informed that the case had been continued earlier that day until January 11, 2019. No information was available regarding the reason.
Lupo, many Sun Citians may recall, worked in the community’s finance department until October 21, 2015, when she was fired for being “unable to perform to the level expected by a manager in the organization,” according to Executive Director Deanna Loughran. Two months later, the staff announced that irregularities had been discovered in several transactions handled by Lupo. Officials at First Service Residential (FSR), the community’s management company that hires the Sun City staff, was notified, along with the Huntley Police Department. After an 11-month joint investigation by the community association, the Huntley police, and the Kane County State’s Attorney, the judicial process began.
“This is not an unusual situation,” said Mike Klunk, deputy chief of the Huntley Police Department who is familiar with the criminal trial system in Kane and McHenry Counties. “There may be conflicts of court dates among the attorneys or witnesses, judges’ dockets and schedules are often changing frequently, and other unexpected schedule changes may occur.”
This case has led to changes in internal financial controls in Sun City. When the investigation began, First Service Residential compensated the Sun City Community Association for the losses that occurred.
