Dec. 10--A Gold Coast woman who was the human resources director for a social justice nonprofit stole more than $82,000 from the agency over five years, using the money for items such as plastic surgery, overseas trips and clothing from Victoria's Secret, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Amy Spicer, 40, is charged with felony theft for stealing the money from the Center for New Community in Chicago using credit cards and her control of flexible spending accounts, according to court documents. The agency focuses on issues of immigration, race and economic inequality, according to its website.
Spicer, who has no prior arrests, was released on a personal-recognizance bond Tuesday following a hearing in bond court before Judge Donald Panarese, according to prosecutors and court records.
Officials with the agency were not available for comment Tuesday.
As director of operations and human resources at the agency, Spicer was in charge of credit cards and flexible medical spending accounts for employees, prosecutors said.
Spicer "liberally used the Center's credit cards for personal expenses, and never reimbursed the Center for her charges," charging personal expenses on the cards more than 650 times from Jan. 1, 2009, to March 28, 2013, for a total of of $71,230.62, prosecutors said in a filing Tuesday.
Spicer, of the first block of East Scott Street, used the credit cards to go to restaurants, buy groceries and clothing, and pay for fitness clubs, but prosecutors said her largest expenses were:
--$10,682 for services at Mid North Animal Hospital
--$9,161 in airfares, including to San Juan, Puerto Rico; Frankfurt, Germany; Barcelona, Spain; Minneapolis; and Las Vegas
--$1,250 for services at Gold Coast Plastic Surgery;
--And $806 in merchandise from Victoria's Secret.
Spicer also stole $11,283 from the center by falsely submitting for reimbursements from her flexible medical spending account, prosecutors said.
The thefts were discovered after a new executive director took over at the agency and reviewed its credit card use, prosecutors said. Spicer admitted to misuse of the center's funds and was fired, and once she was gone, agency officials discovered how much she had stolen, prosecutors said.
Spicer is due back in court Dec. 23, according to prosecutors and court records.
