Elmhurst D205 Official Swindled Mom After Dad Died: Cops

ELMHURST, IL – An Elmhurst School District 205 official overseeing $168 million in building projects swindled his mother out of tens of thousands of dollars, authorities said.

Todd Schmidt, 56, the district's director of facilities, was arrested on felony charges Nov. 25 and held in the Winnebago County Jail for about a day.

His wife was also arrested.

Through a public records request, Patch has obtained the five-page police report on the Schmidts.

Family members estimated that Schmidt and his wife made off with more than $160,000 over six years, police said.

After his father died in February 2018, Schmidt, a Rockford resident, took over his mother's finances, which his father had handled, according to the report.

Schmidt's mother, who is in her 80s, lives in a modest house on Rockford's southeast side. She works as a part-time lunch aide at a nearby elementary school, according to the school's website.

Shortly after his father's death, Schmidt took his father's wallet and iPad and told his mother he would take care of her finances, police said. She agreed. Other family members said they were unaware of the arrangement.

When money issues came up, Schmidt would tell his mother that she had "gambled away all of her money," according to the report.

Relatives started to believe Schmidt had something to do with his mother's lack of money, noting his immediate family's "extravagant" lifestyle, police said.

Police said they found $29,480 in forged checks that he made out to himself and two of his three daughters.

Schmidt's wife, Rita Schmidt, also put his mother as a co-signer for college loans with Mohela, or the Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri, according to the report. It was for at least one of their daughters.

Police said they found numerous IP addresses where the Schmidts accessed the loans. One of the places listed was Elmhurst School District 205.

His mother said she never authorized her name to be used as a co-signer, police said.

When his father died, his credit cards were supposed to have been closed, relatives told police. But they kept being used in various places, police said.

Among the businesses were Elmhurst stores such as Jewel, but also places in Jamaica and Florida, police said.

Other charges were at clothing stores such as Charlotte Russe, Forever 21 and Hollister. Schmidt's mother said she was not responsible for any of the costs in question, particularly those at the clothing stores, which she noted were geared toward teenagers.

She also said she had nothing to do with the charges at Xedos Divers and Margaritaville bar, both in Jamaica.

Schmidt, whose Elmhurst salary is about $150,000, also sold his mother's car and was supposed to put the money into her account, but no one could find a record of the deposit, police said.

His mother told police that she never saw her utility or credit card bills, so she had no idea what her son was doing, police said.

Schmidt took responsibility for paying his mother's utilities. He was late practically every month paying her water bills, and, in 2019 and again in 2022, her water was turned off because of a lack of payment, police said.

In summer 2023, relatives started researching Schmidt's mother's finances after they found collection notices sent to the mother, police said. Authorities began their investigation in August 2023.

Schmidt refused to give his mother or relatives any financial information on his mother's accounts, police said.

Schmidt's daughters do not talk with their grandmother anymore, with one telling her, "My dad didn't take any money from you," the report said.

During an interview with a detective, Schmidt's mother said she "trusted him, he was my son," police said.

A detective asked Schmidt's mother whether she would press charges. She said she wanted both Todd and Rita Schmidt charged, but did not want her son to go to jail, according to the report. She said it was a hard decision.

Police said other family members gave the following estimates for Todd and Rita Schmidt's crimes:

• $42,000 in forged checks
• $47,000 in personal bills paid with his mother's checking account
• $66,000 in forged student loans
• $7,000 for his mother's sold 2013 Chevrolet Cruze
• $62,000 from credit cards
• $5,000 from his mother's pension

Police said they left a voicemail message for Schmidt on Nov. 8, asking him to come in and explain how he handled his mother's finances. But he did not respond, the report said.

Todd Schmidt, who started with District 205 in July 2018, is still listed as facilities director on the district's website. Before his Elmhurst job, he was the chief operations officer for the Rockford school district

After his arrest, the district said in a statement to Patch that Schmidt was on leave. The district's spokeswoman has not responded to Patch's inquiry about whether the leave was paid or unpaid.

On Tuesday afternoon, the school board plans to hold a closed session about personnel issues, with no indication it's about Schmidt. No action is listed on the meeting agenda. Under state law, the board can take no action behind closed doors.

Over the years, Schmidt has given regular reports on building projects to the board. The work was paid for as a result of a $168 million referendum that voters passed in 2018.

A day after Schmidt's arrest, Patch requested records showing Schmidt's credit card charges with the district since the beginning of 2020.

The district had five business days to respond to the request. On Dec. 4, the district responded, seeking an extension, which is allowed under the law. It said the documents would be ready by this Wednesday.

Both Schmidts face felony charges of financial exploitation of an elderly person ($15,000 or more) and aggravated identity theft with a person 60 or older as the victim ($10,000 to $100,000).

Todd Schmidt was also charged with using a forged credit card (more than $300).

Lawyers for the Schmidts have not returned messages for comment.