on sale now at amazon

on sale now at amazon
paperback or ebook

Cop who Plead Guilty to Stealing from Police Charity Gets Probation


Scott Webb, 40, of Romeoville, was found guilty in April of stealing $30,000 from fundraisers for families of police killed in the line of duty.

 The Woodridge cop who plead guilty in April of stealing $30,000 from fundraisers for families of fallen officers has been released from DuPage County jail.

During a sentencing hearing Thursday, the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office asked Judge Kathryn Creswell for Scott Webb, 40, of Romeoville, to serve six years in an Illinois Department of Corrections facility for thefts in 2009 and 2010 from C.O.P.S., or Concerns of Police Survivors.

Creswell sentenced Webb to 180 days in DuPage County Jail. Since Webb has already spent 220 days in jail, he has served his sentence.

Webb received two years probation. Webb has already paid $31,455 in restitution to C.O.P.S.

Creswell said in the hearing that aside from the theft, Webb had led an exemplary life, according to the Chicago Tribune.

"It would appear the conduct is an aberration from a life otherwise dedicated to helping other people," Creswell said.

Webb gave a tearful apology before sentencing, according to the Trib. "I have no one to blame but myself," said Webb. "I did not consider the consequences of my actions."

Webb was a 10-year veteran of the Woodridge Police Department, according to Kate Croteau, management analyst for the Woodridge Police Department. He resigned from the department last March.

In 2009 and 2010, the Illinois chapter Concerns of Police Survivors did not receive donations following two bar crawls Webb organized, called "Crawlin' for the Fallen."

C.O.P.S. hosts support meetings and organizes retreats and camps for kids, teens and spouses of those who have died. C.O.P.S. also sends families to National Police Week in Washington D.C. to see their loved one honored and put on the National Law Enforcement Memorial. 

Grand jury records indicated two large deposits were made to Webb's personal bank account following the 2009 and 2010 events. These deposits were separate from payroll deposits from the Woodridge Police Department, Assistant State's Attorney Helen Kapas said.

Webb was indicted May 23 by a DuPage County grand jury on two counts of theft and was sought on a $250,000 bail arrest warrant.

Webb's attorney told prosecutors Webb would turn himself in on May 24, 2011, at 3 p.m. He never did.

Five months later, Webb was found in Branson, MO, living under the alias "Jeff Scott Waits" in an apartment with a loaded handgun and almost $6,000 in cash. His car was concealed in a shed with D.C. plates covering the Illinois registered ones.

Unable to post 10 percent of his bail of $750,000, Webb has remained in DuPage County jail since October.