Man Sentenced for Stealing From Westmont Company, Jumping Bail

A man who lived in Bensenville and served as the Chief Financial Officer at Collaborative Learning in Westmont was sentenced today to 11 years for stealing more than $500,000 and jumping bail.

Santhosh Thomas, age 51, entered a plea of guilty in Jan. 2008 to one count of theft in excess of $100,000, a class 1 felony, but he failed to appear in court in June 2008, according to DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin.

A no-bond arrest warrant was issued for Thomas, and he had been on the run until April 2015, when he was found near Houston, Texas, and taken to the DuPage County Jail.

The results of an investigation from March 2006 to Jan. 2007 allege Thomas stole $513,765 from Collaborative Learning, Inc. by withdrawing money from the company’s bank account, writing checks to himself and others and falsifying Quickbook records to cover it up. The state’s attorney’s office also said Thomas received unauthorized pay and made purchases with the company credit card.

Eight years of his sentence are the result of the alleged theft, and three years are required for jumping bail. Thomas must serve 50 percent of his sentence before he will be eligible for parole.