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Woman charges $10K to Hospira credit card
Updated: December 4, 2012 8:09PM
LAKE FOREST — An Antioch woman was arrested Sunday, Nov. 25, for felony counts of theft and unlawful use of credit card for purchasing more than $10,000 in personal items using a business credit card issued by Hospira in Lake Forest.
Michelle Helt, 45, 22031 West Cedar Drive, Antioch, was charged with Class 2 felony unlawful use of credit card and Class 3 felony theft for the unauthorized purchases she made on-line and in-person between May 5, 2011, and Nov. 11, 2011.
Bond was set at $25,000. Helt faces a Dec. 6 court appearance.
Helt was terminated from her position as an administrative assistant at Hospira on Nov. 4, 2011, but continued to use the credit card she had been issued by the company to purchase office supplies, Lake Forest Police Deputy Chief Karl Walldorf said.
Hospira officials contacted Lake Forest police on Jan. 25, 2012, to report the thefts that were discovered on itemized receipts collated by an outside firm, Walldorf said.
Many of the items were purchased from walmart.com and target.com and shipped to Helt’s home address, Walldorf said.
“There were also quite a few for gas at various gas stations, grocery stores and restaurant purchases,” Walldorf said.
Financial fraud is not uncommon, Walldorf said.
“This is not unusual in any town that has businesses both large and small,” he said.
Lake Forest has had similar financial fraud cases but the employer does not always want to press charges, Walldorf said.
“Sometimes the employee pays them back,” Walldorf said.
