Former employee of Central Illinois-based vision center indicted after alleged theft of near $5M

PEORIA ( 25News Now ) - A former accounting manager of a family-owned business was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly stealing millions.

Bard Optical President Mick Hall said the company’s former accounting manager, Gayle Rentsch, was indicted this week by a federal grand jury on 16 counts relating to the alleged theft of around $4.8 million over a period of years.

Hall said the theft was discovered on June 19, 2024 through management oversight and was reported to law enforcement.

“At the time of the alleged theft, Mrs. Rentsch was a highly respected member of our accounting team,” Hall said. “As a family business, we placed a great deal of trust in Mrs. Rentsch, and we are now deeply disappointed by this breach of our trust.”

The FBI and IRS have been investigating since