Illinois CPA Gayla Cook sentenced for steal of almost $200,000 from Aurora office

Gayla Cook, a 50-year-old Sandwich, Illinois 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.

Gayla Cook held on $150K bail

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.

Cook's certified public accountant license, which she obtained in 2012, is set to expire in September, according to the Illinois Department of Financial Professional Regulation. The state agency does not show any current or previous disciplinary action against Cook.

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Content retrieved from  http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/news/ct-abn-aurora-theft-st-0222-20150219-story.html

Gayla Cook, a former accountant who stole thousands of dollars from an Aurora dental office, appeared in court recently to make the first restitution payment following her recent sentencing.

Cook, 52, who appears in state records as being from Sandwich, pleaded guilty in April to a charge involving 88 checks she created and deleted without her employers' knowledge, in order to steal nearly $200,000 from Grand Dental between May 2010 and May 2013.

During a June 24 hearing, Kane County Judge D.J. Tegeler sentenced Cook to four years of probation, 30 days in Kane County Jail spread across 10 weekends and to repay $197,765.93 to the business, according to court records. Cook was back in court recently to present a $20,000 check to begin her restitution payments.Documents show Cook is ordered to pay a minimum of $2,000 per month toward the amount she owes.

Content retrieved from  http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/news/ct-abn-dental-office-theft-st-0705-20160701-story.html