Ex-Treasurer Of Illinois Town Gets 4-Year Sentence For Theft

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BENTON, Ill. (AP) -- The former treasurer of a southern Illinois city has been sentenced to 48 months in prison for embezzling more than $300,000 from the city over a four-year period.

Ryan Thorpe was indicted by a federal grand jury on wire fraud and embezzlement from a local government charges.

Thorpe was accused of stealing more than $315,000 from the city of Ziegler between Jan. 1, 2013, and Aug. 31, 2017. The theft was uncovered by an audit.

Thorpe attorney Randy Patchett asked U.S. District Judge Staci Yandle for leniency, noting his client's attempts to support his family and his cooperation with prosecutors.

In sentencing Thorpe on Tuesday, Yandle said she couldn't exercise more compassion or care for Thorpe's family than Thorpe did in defrauding the citizens he was hired to serve.