SUN CITY – In Chicago suburban area criminal courts, the average time between the commission of a felony and the final resolution of the case averages between 3-4 years.
The wheels of justice roll along slowly, provoking endless debates among legal experts and the public regarding what some consider unreasonable delays in the criminal courts system.
Jennifer Lupo. (Photo provided)
A current felony theft case involving a former finance employee in Sun City is a good example of this phenomenon. Jennifer Lupo was fired from her job as the community’s finance manager on October 21, 2015, for sub-standard performance of her job. After a subsequent investigation, she was charged with “unauthorized control of property over $10,000.”
In laymen’s language, she is accused of making unauthorized personal purchases charged to the Sun City Community Association of Huntley (SCCAH).
On October 11, 2018, she is scheduled to be tried in a bench trial in Kane County Circuit Court, Geneva. This is almost three years exactly since her termination, and about two years since her arrest and release on bond.
Lupo, who is now 39, was, at the time of her arrest, a resident of Lake in the Hills. Here are the main events and dates in this story:
On October 21, 2015, the association management company (First Service Residential), stated that her termination was because of a poor job performance.
“First Service Residential (FSR), has a high standard that each associate is expected to meet, management said in a notice to residents. Unfortunately, Jennifer has been unable to perform to the level expected by a manager with our organization.”
On December 15, 2015, the Huntley Police Department said that the association notified them of missing funds from the organization. An almost year-long subsequent investigation revealed “numerous unauthorized personal purchases charged to the association, in excess of $20,000.”
On November 30, 2016, the Kane County State’s Attorney Office approved a charge of one count of unauthorized control of property over $10,000, a class 2 felony.
On December 9, 2016, Lupo, 38, turned herself in to the Huntley Police Department. She was jailed temporarily and released on bond a short time later.
On December 10, 2016, SCCAH made the following statement: “At the end of 2015, management detected irregularities involving some financial transactions handled by former Finance Manager Jennifer Lupo. First Service Residential notified the Sun City Board of Directors and conducted an extensive financial investigation. Improprieties were uncovered, and FSR promptly compensated SCCAH and referred the matter to the Huntley Police Department. Internal controls were reviewed and additional controls were implemented.”
In the last 19 months, the case has been pending through more than a dozen continuances and status hearings. During this time, the defendant requested a bench trial before a circuit court judge. The trial is now scheduled to take place on October 11, unless it is delayed again in the meantime.
This is the second criminal incident involving Sun City residents or employees that has led to a court trial. On November 21, 2013, Robert Signorile, then 45, a Sun City resident living in a rental home who was not age-qualified, was convicted by a McHenry County jury of first degree murder in the March, 2012 beating death of his girlfriend, Michelle Mathieu. He is serving a 40-year sentence without possibility of parole in a state maximum-security prison.
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