Plea pending restitution for Sycamore woman accused of stealing $90K from boosters club, says lawyer

SYCAMORE – A plea agreement could be coming for a Sycamore woman accused of stealing about $90,000 from the Sycamore Music Boosters Club and using the funds for gambling and buying alcohol, her lawyer said Monday.

Deborah J. Baugus, 50, was charged in December with felony theft. Prosecutors allege that she stole the funds while she was the club’s treasurer between 2017 and 2023, according to DeKalb County court records.

Baugus appeared alongside her Yorkville-based defense attorney Dan Transier Monday for a status update on her criminal case.

“I believe we are going to have a plea agreement, part of it is obviously pending a substantial payment towards restitution,” Transier said to Circuit Court Judge Marcy Buick. “She needs a bit of time to move some funds around.”

Baugus did not speak during the brief hearing. If convicted, she could face up to seven years in prison. She has been free on pretrial release since her Jan. 4 arrest, records show.

Prosecutors allege that while booster club treasurer, Baugus siphoned off thousands of dollars from the nonprofit through cash withdrawals from the club’s bank account, according to a Sycamore police synopsis filed in DeKalb County court on Dec. 8. Baugus then allegedly used those funds, which amounted to about $90,000 over six years, to pay for alcohol and gambling, according to records.

Club officials told Shaw Local News Network in January they reported the missing funds to Sycamore police as soon as they became aware.

Music Boosters funds are solicited from the public, through grants pursued by the club and often from parents of students who participate in Sycamore School District 427 music programming. The school district does not provide any funds to the club. Club members are volunteers and not district employees.

Baugus’ charge came after a monthslong investigation started by Sycamore police on July 15, 2023, after a witness came forward alleging Baugus had admitted to misappropriating club money, according to court records.

The witness told police that Baugus allegedly came to their house and confessed to the theft and falsifying her treasurer’s report. The witness told police that Baugus said she “spent the money on alcohol and gambling,” court records allege.

When the witness asked Baugus why she stole the money, Baugus allegedly told the witness that “it was because there was no one to stop her,” according to court records. Baugus also allegedly told the witness that she began taking money from the club’s bank account before the COVID-19 pandemic, and that “the thefts got worse following it,” according to records.

An audit by the club’s new treasurer showed tens of thousands in missing funds from the club’s bank account, records state. Sycamore police later discovered that Old National Bank – formerly First MidWest Bank – showed multiple cash withdrawals from the account, each with Baugus’ signature.

Police said the total amount of withdrawals – minus about $3,000 withdrawn for the Sycamore Pumpkin Fest Craft Fair – totaled about $83,000. But they believe additional funds that aren’t as easily tracked are missing, according to court records.

Buick ordered Baugus to appear for an update on the restitution and agreement status at 9 a.m. July 31.