A 50-year-old Sandwich woman created bogus checks in order to take nearly $198,000 from an Aurora dental office, according to Kane County prosecutors.
Gayla S. Cook appeared in court Thursday a month after an arrest warrant was issued for her on felony charges of theft and theft by deception.
She is being held in Kane County Jail on $150,000 bail with a Feb. 25 hearing scheduled. Cook is seeking a bond reduction, court records show.
Cook “created 88 checks” and deleted them without the knowledge of the owners of Grand Dental & Associates to take $197,765 as part of the thefts which date back to June 2010, court records state.
The Illinois Department of Professional Regulation shows Cook has been a licensed certified public accountant since 2012, with her credentials expiring in September.
Cook, who previously held a license to sell real estate, also appears in an online directory as operating Cook Tax and Accounting based in Sandwich. A Better Business Bureau profile for Grand Dental’s Sycamore office lists Cook as the accounting manager.
Dan Campana is a freelance reporter.