Man Accused of Stealing $1 Million from Former Employer

A 45-year-old McHenry man is accused of stealing more than $1 million from his former employer, Fellowes, Inc., which is located in Itasca, prosecutors said Thursday.

Abel Aguirre, 45, of 211 S. Carriage Trail in McHenry, has been charged with two counts of theft in excess of $1 million, a class X felony; two counts of theft in excess of $500,00, a class 1 felony; and six counts of forgery, a class 3 felony. Bond was set at $250,000 for Aguirre.

Aguirre, who worked as a supply chain manager for the company, is accused of using an elaborate scheme involving a company Aguirre owned, Global Commerce Group, Inc. (Global), to siphon more than $1,000,000 from Fellowes beginning in April 2008 and continuing through Feb. 19, 2014, according to a news release from the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Aguirre purchased goods and materials for Fellowes from Global and not directly from the manufacturer. In doing so, Aguirre’s Global sold the good and materials to Fellowes, which is a global manufacturer of business machines and workplace management products, at inflated prices exceeding $1 million, according to the news release.

Aguirre employed the same scheme involving another supplier that caused Fellowes to overpay for goods and materials in excess of $500,000. He is accused of also forging another’s name as a representative of Global on paperwork submitted to Fellowes when in fact that person had no relationship with Global. The alleged scheme was uncovered by authorities at Fellowes who contacted the Itasca Police Department.

Last week, the DuPage County Jury returned a ten-count indictment against Aguirre alleging the criminal activity. That same day a $250,000 arrest warrant was issued for Aguirre. He was taken into custody Thursday morning without incident. He posted bond at the Itasca police station and was released.

“If these allegations are proven true, Abel Aguirre used the trust placed in him by his former employer to line his own pockets to the tune of approximately $2 million,” Berlin said. “White collar crime is not a victimless crime. The effects of the theft can cause severe strain on the business and in turn cause employees suffer or lose their jobs. What makes these types of cases difficult to uncover is that the offender is usually knowledgeable about his or her victim’s financial business and knows how to cover their tracks.”

Aguirre is next expected in court on Dec. 30.