Canadian man who embezzled $1.8M from Chicago employer sentenced, prosecutors say

CHICAGO - A former accountant for a Chicago construction company has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for embezzling over $1.8 million.

What we know:

Richard A. Mandarino, 46, of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud after prosecutors say he submitted false payment requests between 2015 and 2017.

The fraudulent activity led to checks being issued to vendor companies for goods and services that were never provided, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Illinois.

Mandarino then redirected those funds for personal use — both for himself and others — while covering his tracks with fake credits and offsets in the company's accounting system.

At the time of the fraud, he lived in Canada and worked on the construction company's Canadian business projects.

What they're saying:

"Defendant engaged in a deceptive and calculated scheme against his employer who trusted him with its finances," prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo. "The scheme was complex and multilayered."

Mandarino was sentenced to two years and two months in prison and ordered to pay more than $1.8 million in restitution.