Lake Geneva man may have pocketed $850,000 from Lake Co. clinic

A Lake Geneva, Wis., man was ordered held on $50,000 bond Thursday after being charged with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Libertyville medical clinic.

John McCall, 70, could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of felony theft, but would also be eligible for probation.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Christen Bishop said McCall was hired to be the comptroller for the Center for Pain Control in Libertyville in 2001.

Shortly after accepting his salaried position with the clinic, McCall offered to act as a private contractor for the clinic to collect overdue debts, Bishop said.

McCall's arrangement with the clinic for the debt collection called for him to be paid 30 percent of any overdue funds he collected.

But Bishop said that from the time McCall started the debt collection side business until his resignation from the clinic in December, 2007, he took 30 percent of all money coming into the clinic.

The total loss to the business is between $750,000 and $850,000, Bishop said, and authorities were alerted to the scheme after an audit of the clinic's books.

Associate Judge Raymond Collins lowered McCall's bond from $100,000 after being told McCall was in poor health and living with relatives in Illinois, Bishop said.

McCall is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 20.