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| Schlapp | CPD |
Here are some recent cases from the River North neighborhood that caught our eyes:
• A now-disbarred attorney from River North stole over $1 million from at least 20 elderly clients and their estates by reaching settlements on behalf of the clients, but never telling them about the payments he received on their behalf, prosecutors said.
Jeffrey Schlapp, 57, is charged with Class X felony theft of over $1 million. He was released on electronic monitoring.
Schlapp allegedly represented his clients in lawsuits against nursing homes, but he never told the victims or their estates about the outcome of their suits. Funds from settlements were deposited into Schlapp’s bank account and were not dispersed to victims, causing them to sustain the financial losses, police said.
The Illinois Supreme Court disbarred Schlapp last November after regulators said Schlapp misappropriated more than $600,000 from nine clients he represented in cases that accused nursing homes of malpractice, negligence, falls, and death, according to the Cook County Record. The new criminal charges grew from the regulators’ work.
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| Mosley | CPD |
• Police say a prolific pick-pocket who had been sought for stealing a tourist’s wallet near Union Station is in custody. First (Central) District cops released information about 52-year-old Morris Mosley last week and asked for the public’s help in tracking him down.
Cops caught up with Mosley this week and he is now charged with theft. Judge Michael Clancy set bail at $100,000.
Prosecutors said Mosley stole a 73-year-old Wisconsin man’s wallet as the victim boarded a bus near Union Station on July 23rd. Less than 30 minutes after taking the man’s wallet, surveillance cameras captured images of Mosley using the man’s Starbucks gift card to make a purchase in the Loop, according to court records.
Police last week said Mosley “has an extensive criminal history” including theft and robbery. In addition to the Union Station case, Mosley is currently charged with trying to steal a wallet from a 28-year-old woman’s backpack while they waited for a crosswalk signal to change on the Magnificent Mile this summer.
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| McDowell | CPD |
• A not-so-bright thief has been arrested after agreeing to meet a burglary victim in River North to sell back the man’s stolen laptop for $100, according to court records.
Police said the burglary victim walked into the 18th (Near North) District Station on the afternoon of September 1st and told officers that a stranger had agreed to meet him at a nearby Target store to sell back his MacBook Pro. A sergeant accompanied the 28-year-old victim to the store at 1200 North Larrabee and watched him drop an envelope containing $100 cash on the ground as the thief had instructed.
Moments later, the sergeant arrested 34-year-old Novi McDowell of the far South Side’s West Pullman neighborhood as he picked up the envelope of cash, according to court records. McDowell was in possession of the victim’s 15-inch computer, police said.
The MacBook was returned to the victim and McDowell was charged with theft of lost or mislaid property. Judge John Lyke released him on a recognizance bond.
