The former superintendent of a suburban school district has been charged with stealing more than $10,000 by using a school-issued credit card to pay for personal expenses, including adult-content websites, golf equipment, and Visa gift cards, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
William Toulios, 46, is charged with one count of theft of government property between $10,000 and $100,000, one count of theft between $10,000 and $100,000, one count of forgery, and two counts of official misconduct.
According to prosecutors, an investigation by the Illinois State Police found that Toulios allegedly used a district-issued credit card to make more than $10,000 in unauthorized personal purchases between February 2021 and March 2024 while serving as superintendent of Argo Community High School District 217.
The spending included more than $4,000 on adult-content websites, more than $4,000 on golf equipment and related items, more than $5,000 in Visa gift cards, and other personal purchases between February 2021 and March 2024 while Toulios served as superintendent, prosecutors said. Some of the gift cards were allegedly used to pay for additional adult website expenses.
Prosecutors also alleged Toulios submitted a fraudulent invoice to a subordinate employee and directed that employee to create additional fraudulent invoices to conceal the unauthorized spending.
“Every dollar entrusted to a school district is meant to support students, classrooms and educational opportunities, not personal expenses,” Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke said in a statement. “Public officials who abuse taxpayer resources for their own personal gain are not above the law. The prosecutors in our Public Corruption Unit are committed to seeking accountability and protecting the public’s trust.”
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