Posted on Thursday, July 21st, 2016 at 11:11 am
Sixty-year-old West Union Township resident Denise Birt pleaded not guilty on Friday, July 15 in relation to charges that she mismanaged the organization’s fund. Birt is the former director of the Tri-County Action Commission, a non-profit organization that provides services to people living in Logan, Champaign, and Shelby counties.
Birt’s five-count indictment includes three third-degree felonies – securing writings by deception, falsification, and theft – a fourth-degree felony count of theft, and misdemeanor charge of tampering with records. David Thomas, Birt’s defense attorney from Columbus, said imprisoning her was uncalled for. He noted, “It came as a complete surprise to us because we’ve been in communication with the Logan County Prosecutor’s Office, yet for some reason, they found it necessary to issue a secret indictment and a warrant to arrest a woman who is 60 years old and has no criminal record. She’s cooperated with the prosecutor’s office so far and there’s no reason to believe she will not continue to do so.”
The attorneys The Bruno Law Offices, handle criminal defense cases, including white collar crimes, all over Illinois and in federal courts. Call our offices today at (217) 328-6000 to discuss your legal options.