Man guilty of giving escort employer credit card sentenced

CHICAGO (AP) — An Illinois man who claims his 2012 divorce prompted him to go on a binge that included alcohol, prostitutes and giving a woman his corporate credit card used to finance an opulent lifestyle and rack up millions of dollars in debt was sentenced Thursday to prison.

U.S. District Judge Elaine sentenced Scott Kennedy of Buffalo Grove to 25 months in prison for what she called an “inexplicable” crime. Kennedy, 46, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in 2018.

Before learning his sentence via video conference due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kennedy apologized, saying he will “continue to be sorry for the rest of my life.”

Kennedy’s sentencing was deferred to allow him to testify against Crystal Lundberg, 34, who with Kennedy, racked up $5.79 million on an account belonging to French drug delivery device maker Nemera, which employed Kennedy.

Kennedy testified Lundberg took advantage of him, adding he loved her and hoped they would marry. The jury found her guilty of five counts of wire fraud and she was sentenced in December to more than four years in prison.

According to Kennedy’s testimony, he and Lundberg met after he and his wife divorced. He said he hired Lundberg, 34, as an escort and she and her children eventually moved in with him.

During her trial, prosecutors alleged Lundberg used the corporate card to spend $8,000 monthly on a personal driver for her kids and $2,500 a month on a maid in San Diego, Calif., where she moved. She allegedly paid for therapy and prescription drugs, spent money on personal items and vacation trips and opened a business.