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Former Art Institute worker pleads guilty to $2M embezzlement scheme

A former worker at the Art Institute in Chicago has pleaded guilty to carrying out a $2 million embezzlement scheme. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI
A former worker at the Art Institute in Chicago has pleaded guilty to carrying out a $2 million embezzlement scheme. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo

April 14 (UPI) -- A former worker at the Art Institute in Chicago has pleaded guilty to carrying out a $2 million embezzlement scheme.

Michael Maurello, 56, worked as a payroll manager at the museum and admitted to stealing from the famed institution and depositing the proceeds into his personal bank account at JP Morgan Chase between 2007 and 2020, ARTnews and CBS News reported.

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Maurello was indicted in January on two counts of wire fraud and two counts of bank fraud but pleaded guilty to just one count of wire fraud.

In order to carry out his plot, Maurello would create fake reasons for the payments, including claims that they were paid time off for employees who were already paid for their time off, according to the indictment.

The Art Institute discovered what Maurello was doing after finding unusual activity during a financial review in 2019 and immediately launched an internal probe.

Maurello also lied to a museum investigator when asked about one of the payments and said it was a test of the payroll system.

"The Art Institute thanks law enforcement for their handling of the case," a museum spokesperson told ARTnews by email. "We look forward to the resolution of this matter."

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