Suspicious Joliet park spending totals $144,000

The Joliet Park District has identified suspicious financial activity that goes beyond credit card misuse and totals about $144,000, according to police reports.

The park district acknowledged last week that it is investigating past financial improprieties including credit card misuse involving a previous employee but did not identify the amount of money involved or the employee.

According to Joliet police reports, the suspicious activity reported by a park official includes potential credit card fraud, suspected petty cash theft and one redirected business check all amounting to about $144,000.

Park officials would not comment on the specific items mentioned in the police report or the amount of potential losses.

“I don’t know the total amount of losses because they’re still being discovered,” park board President Sue Gulas said Friday. “I’m confident that our insurance will cover the losses.”

The names of parties involved, including the suspected previous employee, are redacted from the two police reports taken Jan. 12.

No one has been charged in the case.

But one report states that the period being examined for credit card fraud and petty cash theft involving a “former employee” ran from April 1, 2013 to Dec. 31, 2019. Those dates coincide with the employment period for former Finance Director Matt Pehle.

A second report on a redirected check for $4,200.86 was more recent. The check was dated Nov. 20, 2020.

Pehle left the park district to become chief financial officer at the Forest Preserve District of Will County in January 2020. The forest preserve district placed Pehle on administrative leave last week after the park district announced its investigation into suspicious activity. The forest preserve district this week said its own financial audit indicated no financial irregularities.

Sources have said Pehle is the person being investigated concerning potential misuse of the park district credit card.

The police report covering the period from 2013 to 2019 states discrepancies were found that included:

• Suspected misuse of a credit card totaling about $100,000 “for purchases and goods that were not Joliet Park District related”;

• Possible theft of $6,000 in cash from a petty cash fund;

• Use of petty cash checks totaling $30,000 “that were not authorized and not for park district matters”;

• And use of the park district credit card by an unauthorized user for $2,000 “charged to medical bills and recreational classes at other locations in the area.”

A separate police report refers to a business check for $4,200.86 for Becker and Associates Inc. that was dated Nov. 20, 2020.

The report states that the check “was never delivered and appears to have been intercepted at some point. The check then appears to have been washed and the payee was changed to ....”

The payee’s name is redacted along with ensuing information that appears to indicate that the park official making the report did not recognize the name of the payee.

Becker and Associates is a company that provides aviation products and services. Joliet Park District facilities include the Joliet Regional Airport.