Former DCFS worker, 14 Others Charged In Illinois for Stealing $3.2M in Funds Allocated for Foster Care
Shauntele Pridgeon, 54, a former Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) worker, along with 14 others, have been indicted on federal charges. They have been accused of stealing $3.2 million in child care funds allocated for the Foster Care system over a six-year period.
According to CBS News, Pridgeon was first arrested in May and accused of receiving $1.6 million in illicit payments from 14 separate childcare providers between 2016 and 2022. It is alleged the funds came from either overcharging rates or from daycares that didn’t even exist. Further, it is claimed that Pridgeon used the funds at a casino.
Pridgeon’s position within the DCFS was to review and approve daycare providers under the agency’s jurisdiction.
