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Finkle Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charges, Contests Amount of Loss

Board of Education (BOE) member John Finkle pleaded guilty to charges of fraud filed against him in February. According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Finkle and his co-conspirator Kenneth Pedroli were charged with defrauding an Illinois-based electronics components supplier identified as Company A for $3 million.

Finkle has served on the BOE for two decades, including as chair, and is a former Republican mayoral candidate. At press time, neither Finkle nor BOE Chair Michele DeLucia responded to requests for comments about his status as a board member.

Pedroli pleaded guilty in April. He was a customer of Finkle’s company.

“As part of the scheme, Finkle instructed Pedroli to place his orders and list prices at a fraction of Company A’s published prices,” said U.S. attorney John Durham in a press release. “Finkle instructed Pedroli to pay only a portion of the invoiced price and to make payments directly to Finkle, which Pedroli did.”

Finkle allegedly deposited the funds into a personal checking account and instructed another Company A employee to manipulate accounting records so that it appeared as though the full amount had been paid.

“We believe that the amount of loss that the government represents is inaccurate,” said Finkle’s attorney, Tara Knight. “The government is open to an adjustment in that figure.”

Finkle’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 8; he faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. However, Knight said that sentencing statutes are partially dependent on the amount of loss associated with the crime. Calculating a lower number that she contends is more accurate would reduce Finkle’s possible sentence.

“We’re hoping to reach an agreement with the government and the company,” Knight said.

If the two parties cannot find a number upon which they both agree, the next step would be a hearing before sentencing.

Finkle has been released on a $500,000 bond.

“The fact that he pled guilty, that doesn’t become an actual conviction until the time of sentencing,” Knight said.

Finkle has also been the subject of investigations related to BOE spending. In November 2018, Finkle and his wife Cathy Finkle were subpoenaed for their emails associated with an FBI investigation into the BOE’s Little Jackets program, which had a nearly $32,000 shortfall in the 2015-’16 operating budget. Cathy Finkle was fired as a result of that investigation.