Former Forest Preserve Employees Plead Not Guilty of Theft, Misconduct Charges

Mark McDonald and David Tepper, two former administrators at the DuPage County Forest Preserve, pleaded not guilty to charges they schemed to steal $150,000 from the forest preserve, the Daily Herald reported Tuesday.

McDonald, 52, of Wheaton and Tepper, 49, of River Forest were arraigned Tuesday on 140 charges each of theft, accepting kickbacks and official misconduct.

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Authorities say the men planned to bilk the forest preserve of about $150,000. In the first plan, involving McDonald's and Tepper's company Integrated Design Solutions, the two former employees billed and received more than $90,000 from the forest preserve for equipment and services that were never delivered from July 20, 2005 to November 7, 2011, according to a press release.

In the second scheme, officials say a third man, Arif Mahmood, acted as an employee of Alamach Technology Inc., and overbilled the forest preserve for contracted work from February 25, 2010 through November 7, 2011. He then subcontracted with Integrated Design Solutions in the amount overbilled for services that were never rendered, netting McDonald and Tepper more than $64,000 in kickbacks, according to the release.

Mahmood is charged with stealing more than $10,000 from the district, court records show. He also pleaded not guilty in DuPage County Court this week.

Tepper and McDonald are scheduled to return to court Jan. 16, according to the Herald. 

Related:

• FBI Investigates Forest Preserve Contracts
• Forest Preserve Employees Accused of Misusing Funds

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