Man Convicted In Cook County Stole From Friends

A Lake in the Hills man preparing to go to prison for 19 months on a 2018 felony conviction in Cook County for stealing $900,000 from church friends pleaded not guilty Wednesday to additional charges of theft and fraud in a similar case pending in McHenry County. Carlos Meza, 55, had first been arraigned in 2016 on three McHenry County felony charges. At that arraignment, he entered a not guilty plea to continuing financial crimes enterprise, theft by unauthorized control of more than $10,000 and financial institution fraud, according to lawyers and court documents. On Wednesday, he was “re-arraigned” and pleaded not guilty to an additional 15 charges in the case, including continuing a financial crime enterprise, theft between $10,000 and $100,000, defrauding a financial institution of between $500 and $10,000, and forgery. Assistant Attorney General Regina Jeon and two of his alleged victims said Meza stole their money under the guise of helping save their homes from foreclosure or making investments on their behalf. In 2014, Meza also was convicted of misdemeanor theft in Cook County, Jeon said. The wire fraud conviction in Cook County is linked to his current case.