Former Rockford School District head wife accused of stealing thousands from elderly mother to support ‘extravagant lifestyle’

On December 20, 2024By Littum

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – According to a Rockford police report obtained by Patcha former Rockford School District Chief Operations Officer and his wife are accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from his mother.

Todd Schmidt, 56, is charged with aggravated identity theft of a person 60 years of age or older ($10K-$100K), financial exploitation of an elderly person 70 years of age or older ($15K+), and use of a counterfeit credit or debit card (less than $300).

Schmidt was Chief Operating Officer for Rockford Public Schools 205 from 2009 to 2018. He left to become Director of Facilities for Elmhurst School District 205.

Todd’s wife, Rita Schmidtis charged with the same charges except for forgery of a credit or debit card. She was the director of relationship development and advancement for Rockford Lutheran School from 2014 to 2021. She is now a merchandiser at Bolingbrook-based Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, according to her LinkedIn page Patch found.

The report says Todd Schmidt’s father, Roy, handled their mother, Josephine’s, finances. When Roy died, Todd took control of her finances.

According to the report, the Schmidts stole about $229,000 through forged checks, forged student loans, credit card charges and moving money from Josephine’s pension to a personal account.

Police report obtained by Patch

The charges carry a maximum sentence of 30 years for Rita Schmidt and 33 years for Todd Schmidt. They are scheduled to be charged on January 9.