$1.5M Embezzled From Tepa Landscaping: Lawsuit

JOLIET, IL - A 49-year-old Joliet woman arrested Dec. 27 in connection with allegations she defrauded her long-time employer now faces a lawsuit from Tepa Landscaping on Joliet's South Briggs Street. The small family-run business accuses Robin M. Rodriguez of stealing more than $1.5 million since the time of her hiring in the summer of 2010. The new lawsuit at the Will County Courthouse also names her husband, Michael Rodriguez, as a co-defendant.

At the moment, Robin Rodriguez faces seven felony charges of theft and forgery. Her bail was set at $250,000. After spending one night in the Will County Jail, she managed to come up with 10 percent to post as bond.

According to the lawsuit, Robin Rodriguez began working for Tepa as a part-time office manager and bookkeeper in July 2010. She made $14 per hour. Tepa is the company of Jose Plascencia, who is sole shareholder and officer. The partnership also involves Jose's brother, Ramon, "who participated in the operation and management of the business and shared in Tepa's earnings and profits," the complaint notes.

"Prior to her hiring by Tepa, defendant Robin Rodriguez has (sic) developed a close personal relationship with Jose Plascencia, his wife-to-be, Carrie Plascencia, Ramon Plascencia and his wife, Chris Plascencia by reason of the following events and interactions ... Robin Rodriguez was associated with St. Raymond Nonnatus Roman Catholic Church as a volunteer or sponsor, assisting catechumens in the process of conversion to Roman Catholicism," the lawsuit states.

"Robin Rodriguez acted as the sponsor assisting Carrie Plascencia in the process of Carrie's conversation to Roman Catholicism. Carrie Plascencia and through her, Jose, Ramon and Chris came to respect and esteem Robin Rodriguez and regard her as a person of high morality, honesty and personal integrity," according to Tepa's lawsuit filed by Joliet attorney Michael L. Bolos whose office is listed as the Busey Bank Building on Black Road.

At Tepa, the Plascencia brothers, Jose and Ramon, gave Robin Rodriguez access to their blank check and computer account software, Quickbooks, and relied on her accuracy to record payments, identify payees and reconcile checking statements with an accurate ledger, the lawsuit explains.

In time, Robin Rodriguez informed her husband, Michael Rodriguez, "that she knew or had discovered that it was possible to manipulate the QuickBooks accounting software to issue checks payable to one payee and then later alter the electronic ledger entry to show a different payee than the payee to whom the printed check had actually been issued," Tepa's lawsuit reveals.

On top of that, Robin Rodriguez informed her husband that Tepa's check account statements did not include physical or photo-static copies of checks actually paid, "rather the statement gave a listing only of each check number, date of processing and amount paid, but no information as to the payee of the check," the lawsuit notes.

"Neither Jose nor Ramon Plascencia as principals of Tepa knew or suspected that after a check had been printed, QuickBooks ledger entries could be altered to change the name of the ledger payee to a different name than the payee appearing on the printed checks," Bolos informed the court.

According to Tepa, Robin Rodriguez's legitimate annual calendar earnings, between her hiring in July 2010 through March 2018 "did not exceed $20,000." However, during that same period, Robin Rodriguez "converted sums in excess of $100,000 per year, aggregating in excess of $1.5 million, across the history of defendant's malfeasance, without the knowledge, permission or consent of Tepa or its principals and used the same for her own and Michael Rodriguez's business, personal or familial purposes," the lawsuit states.

The fraudulent conducted was first uncovered by Tepa in March 2018, according to the plaintiffs.

The new lawsuit at the Will County Courthouse includes counts of conversion, civil conspiracy and fraud.

Besides seeking a judgment of $1.5 million, plus attorneys fees, plaintiff's lawyer Michael Bolos has asked the court to award punitive damages of $5 million "or such sum as will serve to punish defendants and serve as an example to deter such conduct by other in the future."

Meanwhile, a review of Robin Rodriguez's criminal court shows that she has retained the law firm of Chuck Bretz to represent her on her four felony thefts and three felony forgery counts. Her next criminal court appearance is set for March 4, a pretrial hearing, in Courtroom 402 of Judge Daniel Rippy.

Robin Rodriguez lives in the 3900 block of Brenton Drive in Joliet.

Mugshot of Robin Rodriguez via Will County Sheriff's Office