An Aurora man must repay $45,000 to Rosary High School for money he stole and then gambled away while he worked as the school’s business manager.

Kevin J. Carew, 36, of the 2500 block of Dickens Drive, Aurora, was sentenced late Friday, Sept. 12, 2014, by Circuit Judge John A. Barsanti to  four years’ probation and ordered to repay $45,000 to Rosary.

On June 5, 2014, Carew entered a blind guilty plea to one count of theft from a school, a Class 1 felony. Judge Barsanti accepted the plea and scheduled Carew’s sentencing hearing for Sept. 12.

During the plea and sentencing hearings, prosecutors presented evidence that between June 2010 and September 2012, Carew embezzled approximately $49,000 from Rosary’s operations account. Carew used the money for gambling purposes and for trips to Las Vegas, Nev., and Atlantic City, NJ. Rosary’s operations account covered such as expenses as payroll and financial aid, according to the school.

In addition to the probation and restitution, Carew was ordered by the court to attend self-help classes to deal with gambling addiction, and to obtain counseling and follow all recommendations. He is prohibited by the court from entering any establishment whose primary function is gambling pursuits.

Following the sentencing hearing, Carew presented a check to the court in the amount of $48,000, which included $3,000 in court costs. The school’s insurance covered the stolen money. The $45,000 was restitution to the school for costs it incurred while investigating how the money disappeared.

Carew had been free on $4,000 bond.

“In stealing from a small, religiously affiliated school that seeks to teach its students to be responsible and ethical citizens, Mr. Carew’s selfish acts placed an unnecessary burden on Rosary High School,” Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said. “This sort of theft is a major crime that inflicts significant financial and emotional costs on the community as a whole.

“We thank Aurora Police Det. Terrah Van Laanen for her thorough investigation in this case. We also thank the administration at Rosary for their full and willing cooperation. Their complete work left no doubt about the extent of Mr. Carew’s dishonesty,” McMahon said.

The case was prosecuted by Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney Nick Gaeke.

SOURCE: Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office press release