ELMHURST – An Elmhurst woman was sentenced to six years in prison on Tuesday for stealing more than $400,000 in housing vouchers.
Gwendolyn Robinson, 51, was indicted in July 2011 after a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development investigation revealed she had stolen more than $400,000 from the Maywood Housing Authority while serving as its executive director from May 2006 to November 2009.
Investigators found Robinson funneled money from housing vouchers intended to benefit low-income renters into a hidden account she then used to make mortgage payments on her Elmhurst home, according to a news release from the Illinois Attorney General's office.
Robinson pleaded guilty to theft of over $100,000, a Class 1 felony, and official misconduct, a Class 3 felony, in Cook County Circuit Court. Judge Rosemary Grant Higgins sentenced Robinson to six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the theft count, and four years for the misconduct count, which are set to be served concurrently.