WINTHROP HARBOR, Ill. – According to authorities, three people have been charged with felonies after an investigation into financial crimes. The money is alledged to have been taken from the Village of Winthrop Harbor’s bank account and in the amount of $700,000 in fraudulent transactions.
The investigation started in February 2024 after village officials realized unauthorized transactions between October 2022 and October 2023. While a significant portion of the funds were recovered by the bank’s fraud department, authorities tracked the fraudulent transactions to individuals in Las Vegas and Memphis.
The investigation led the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office to approve felony charges against Phillip Sanders, Vanessa Yarbrough and Patrick Dickens.
They have been charged with theft, continuing financial crimes enterprise, money laundering and misappropriation of financial institution property. Sanders and Dickens were also each charged with computer fraud.
Phillip Sanders and Vanessa Yarbrough were taken into custody by Memphis police and have been extradited to Lake County. A nation wide manhunt continues for Patrick Dickens, 32, of Las Vegas, Nevada.