Man accused of stealing $56,000 check from village of Algonquin

A Maywood man was charged Friday with stealing a check for nearly $56,000 from the village of Algonquin that was intended for a yard service company, according to McHenry County court documents.

Authorities allege in the court filings that on or about Nov. 6, Omar I. Sharif, Jr., 24, of the 2100 block of South 13th Avenue in Maywood, “knowingly obtained unauthorized control over property of the Village of Algonquin” in the form of the check for $55,879.50 that was addressed to Semper Fi Yard Services.

A warrant for Sharif’s arrest was issued Friday, according to court records.

Sharif is charged with four felony counts of theft of between $10,000 to $100,000 from a government entity and bank fraud involving possession of a stolen check, the court documents show. Two of the theft charges against Sharif are Class 1 felonies, which carry a sentence of 4 to 15 years in prison, if convicted.

Court records allege Sharif tried to deposit a check from the village of Algonquin addressed to Semper Fi Yard Services into an account that didn’t belong to either entity. Court records state that Sharif was not affiliated with either the village of Algonquin or Semper Fi Yard Services. Neither village nor Semper Fi representatives could immediately be reached for comment.

According to website of Semper Fi, which has offices in Yorkville and Aurora, the village of Algonquin contracted with the landscaping company to stabilize eroded shoreline along Crystal Creek near Towne Park, though it’s unclear if the check in question was related to that work.