SALINE COUNTY (AP) — The Illinois Attorney General’s Office has charged the directors of a Saline County domestic violence shelter with falsifying records and stealing funds.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has charged 76-year-old Barbara Wingo, of Golconda, and her daughter, 50-year-old Terrie Wingo-Eichorn, of Elizabethtown, with multiple counts, including financial institution fraud, loan fraud, wire fraud, forgery, and using charitable assets for personal use.
Wingo is the executive director of the Anna Bixby Women’s Center in Harrisburg. Wingo-Eichorn serves as assistant director.
Madigan claims the two women submitted false documents to the state to “obtain grant funding to provide fictitious counseling services to domestic violence victims.”
They are also accused of using false documents to get a $100,000 loan to fund a salon in Harrisburg. Wingo-Eichorn is charged with using more than $1,800 in donations to buy electronics and other personal items.
Madigan says the defendants betrayed the trust of the taxpayers and charitable foundations who intended their donations to help survivors of domestic violence as they attempt to rebuild their lives. She says her office will prosecute this case to ensure justice is achieved.