70 year old Cynthia Fuchs of Springfield who plead guilty last month of stealing nearly a half million dollars over a 7 year period from the Springfield-based Federation of Independent Colleges and Universities, was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison by Circuit Judge Adam Giganti.
According to a report from the State Journal Register, Fuchs asked for leniency saying that she was an enabler to drug habits of her two sons. Her defense sought a probation term because according to Assistant Public Defender William Vig, Fuchs has no assets left from the money she took from the federation.
Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright asked for a 10-year prison term for Fuchs because she allegedly took vacations and made elaborate purchases with the money. According to the SJR, Fuchs stole the money by writing checks to herself and family members and using federation credit cards. Springfield Police Detective Shawn Daubs told the court that the $375,000 that Fuchs admitted to taking was actually a low estimate in the uncovered scheme.
Fuchs was earning more than $100,000 a year as the federation’s vice president for administrative services when she was fired after the theft was discovered. She had been with the organization more than 25 years.
Fuchs will serve at least half of the seven-year sentence including time spent in county jail, according to Dan Wright. Fuchs’ sister, Penny L. Stockton, 66, of Jacksonville, also was accused of theft in the case. She has a court appearance scheduled February 18th.