A Crown Point woman who was taken into custody Friday on multiple felony fraud counts for taking almost $81,000 from her now-former employer, a Valparaiso business, has checked herself into a rehab facility for gambling addiction, according to court documents.
Sheri A. Steinhilber, who also has a listed address in West Lafayette, was charged with six counts of Level 6 felony fraud; one Level 6 felony theft count; and one Class A misdemeanor fraud count. The amounts in question range from $95 to $47,046.12; the total sum is $80,818.12. The alleged crimes took place from May 2022 through October 2023.
The owners of D&K Electric contacted Indiana State Police on Nov. 27 after discovering discrepancies with financial accounts. The owners told police that Steinhilber worked for the business as an office manager, handling daily finances and accounting, and that she was terminated on Nov. 7.
One of the owners confronted Steinhilber about the discrepancies “and Sheri apologized for her actions in a vague manner via text message,” charges state. That owner told police, “in speaking with family members … she had placed herself in a recovery facility for a gambling addiction.”
One of charges involves a customized golf cart for a family member, charged on the company credit card. A relative told investigators that “he has recently uncovered a multitude of fraud conducted by Sheri due to gambling habits in which she victimized her employer, family members, and himself,” charges state.
The charges include dollar amounts for what Steinhilber allegedly spent at a casino between 2017 and 2023, except for 2022, when there was no record of gambling at the casino. The amounts range from $2,311.10 in 2023 to $214,47.88 in 2019.
Several times, according to the charges, Steinhilber directed clients of D&K Electric to make a payment with her to receive a discount. The owners told police that Steinhilber “had previously created various accounts such as PayPal & Squareup in the past and (the owner) had told her not to use these accounts.”
The accounts had the owners’ business address but the phone number and email address tracked back to Steinhilber, according to the charges. Customers who made payments via those accounts thought the funds were going to D&K Electric and found out later the business had not received the money, according to the documents.
An initial hearing has not been set for Steinhilber and she was still in custody as of Monday afternoon, according to jail records.
alavalley@chicagotribune.com
