Woodridge Resident Sentenced to 10 Years for Stealing More than $500,000

DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin announced today that Judge Daniel Guerin has sentenced Mary Marra, 44, of to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for stealing more than $500,000 from a Downers Grove law firm where she was once employed.

On June 21, Marra entered a plea of guilty to two counts of Theft in Excess of $100,000 and one count of Continuing a Financial Crimes Enterprise. All charges are Class 1 Felonies.

Starting in December, 2003, Marra began embezzling money from the law firm through a number of different schemes she was able to keep hidden from her employer for more than four years. In all, Marra stole a total of $516,226.24.

The method of Marra’s thefts included writing herself unauthorized checks from bank accounts controlled by the law firm and forging her employer’s signature on other checks written out to her. In addition, Marra also wrote herself checks from the estate of one of the law firm’s clients.

In February, 2008, the owner of the company, suspecting something was wrong with his books, contacted the Downers Grove Police Department. The Downers Grove Police Department’s investigation resulted in charges filed against Marra and ultimately today’s sentencing.

“Simple greed got the better of Mary Marra,” Berlin said. “She was gainfully employed, earning an honest living, by a firm who had placed a great amount of trust in her. She repaid that trust by siphoning more than one half of a million dollars from firm’s bank accounts. Her actions caused a great financial hardship to the firm. That hardship continues today. I would like to thank the Downers Grove Police Department for their work on this case. I would also like to thank Assistant State’s Attorney Diane Michalak for holding Ms. Marra responsible for her deplorable actions and for her continued efforts in combating white collar crime.”

Marra will be required to serve 50 percent of her sentence before being eligible for parole. To date she has paid back approximately $157,000.

*The above was a media announcement from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.

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