Deerfield Accountant Indicted for Defrauding Clients of $2 Million

United States Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald announced recently that a certified public accountant and tax preparer based in Deerfield, Illinois, Jeffrey B. Travis, 50, was indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in Chicago for allegedly defrauding five of his clients and US Bancorp out of $2 million.

Travis, a resident of Vernon Hills, practicing as Gross & Travis, Ltd. in Deerfield, was charged with five counts of bank fraud and three counts of mail fraud, according to a release issued by Fitzgerald.

Travis is accused of allegedly depositing 668 checks without authority from clients intended for others into accounts he controlled at US Bancorp from 2002 through 2009.

According to the release, the indictment seeks forfeiture of $2,034,848, which it says represents proceeds of the alleged fraud schemes. Each count of bank fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Each mail fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and restitution is mandatory.