A woman from Itasca was charged with stealing more than $373,000 from small businesses she hacked and from a COVID-19-related financial aid program.
Beata Zielinski, 55, had her bail set Monday at $100,000 on 36 counts alleging that she defrauded at least nine different financial institutions, along with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
From June 2017 through July 2020, Zielinski engaged in multiple identity theft schemes to illegally obtain funds from several private banks and the federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans program related to the pandemic, DuPage County prosecutors said.
Zielinski also hacked into private business email accounts, then directed the banks for those businesses to send money to another bank account that she controlled, prosecutors said.
The charges include three Class X felony charges for theft of governmental property, punishable by 6 to 30 years in prison, as well as charges of theft, financial institution fraud and money laundering.
White collar crimes are extremely difficult to detect, because the perpetrator will try to hide any paper trail, as in this case, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. He credited the “painstakingly thorough investigation” of Ken Tatarelis, supervisor of the office’s public integrity/financial crimes division, and with Itasca police Officer Katlyn Jezior.
Zielinski’s next court date was set for arraignment Thursday in front of Judge Brian Telander.