Ex-Plainfield Township Supervisor Pleads Guilty To Stealing $1.4M

PLAINFIELD, IL — Anthony Fremarek, a former Plainfield Township supervisor, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, admitting embezzling more than $1.37 million from a consulting firm between April 2013 and March 2019.

His guilty plea was filed with the United States District Court's Northern District of Illinois on Nov. 28.

Fremarek was the chief financial officer and manager at the company, as well as one of its five partners. Although the lawsuit does not name the company, instead referring to it as "Company A," Fremarek's LinkedIn page shows he worked at Schaumburg-based PSC Group, LLC, from June 2011 to June 2019.

The former Plainfield Township executive was charged in January 2021 and accused of stealing from the consulting firm where he worked, Patch reported. Fremarek resigned from his role as supervisor two months after he was indicted.

With sentencing set for Feb. 23, Fremarek faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or "twice the gross gain or gross loss resulting from that offense, whichever is greater" documents show. He will also be required to pay restitution to the firm and pay $100 on the charge to which he pled guilty.

During his scheme, Fremarek "maintained personal credit card accounts with American Express, Chase, and Barclays ... and did submit expense reports seeking reimbursement from Company A of business expenses incurred on Fremarek's personal credit cards." Yet he was not authorized to use the company's funds to pay his personal credit card bills, according to the lawsuit.

One example: Fremarek told his partners the company's account with a Rosemont bank was closed, which he backed up with a $0 closing balance. In reality, the lawsuit states the account remained open, allowing Fremarek to use funds deposited in the account for his own benefit.

Fremarek concealed the theft by falsifying entries in the company's accounting system to disguise the payments to his personal credit cards as seemingly legitimate business expenses.

Patch reached out to Fremarek, who did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.

Despite facing charges, he sought reelection in the April 6, 2021, municipal election before announcing two days later he would end his bid, Patch reported.

"At this time, I need to direct my energies on my family and my business," he said at the time.

Then-mayoral candidate John Argoudelis also called on Fremarek to resign, saying, "Illinois government is plagued with corruption from top to bottom, but I would hope in our local government we would not tolerate it."

Fremarek was elected to the township board as a trustee in April 2009, elected supervisor in 2013 and reelected in 2017.

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