Attorney General Madigan: DHS worker arraigned on charges of theft, official misconduct, June 18, 2015

Attorney General Lisa Madigan today announced that an Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) caseworker was arraigned on charges of theft and official misconduct for allegedly stealing over $114,000 in assistance for needy families.

Mary Hurst, 50, of Steeleville, pleaded not guilty today in Randolph County Criminal Court to one count of theft of government monies over $100,000, a Class X felony punishable by six to 30 years in prison; and five counts of wire fraud and six counts of official misconduct, each a Class 3 felony punishable by two to five years in prison.

Madigan alleged that Hurst, an IDHS caseworker at the Randolph County Family Community Resource Center, created four fictitious clients and issued herself LINK cards loaded with state funds in those names. Hurst allegedly used the fake accounts to make withdrawals at various ATMs from 2012 to 2015. Madigan alleged Hurst misappropriated $114,819 in state funds earmarked for families in need for personal profit.

“The defendant’s acts cheated not only the taxpayers who fund the programs she was entrusted to manage but also those who rely on these vital state services,” Madigan said.

Assistant Attorney General Kilby MacFadden and Associate Director James S. Dorger are handling the case for Madigan’s Public Integrity Bureau. The Illinois Department of Human Services, the Illinois State Police and the Office of the Executive Inspector General assisted in the case.