Closing Arguments Heard in Kolodziej Theft Trial

How much money would you have to give your child before they started questioning where it came from? The answer to that question will help decide whether a La Salle woman goes to jail.

After 30-year old Ashia Kolodziej said she would not take the stand, both sides had their final arguments Wednesday. The key issue is whether or not she knew the nearly $300,000 her mother paid on Kolodziej’s credit card was stolen.

Assistant State’s Attorney Greg Sticka claimed she had to have known because of the sheer amount. He claimed she charged more than $85,000 to the card in 2014 alone, and the bills were paid despite her mother, Connie Steinbach, having a salary of just $52,000. Steinbach is currently serving a 7-year sentence for pleading guilty to stealing more than $1 million from J.B. Contracting.

Kolodziej’s attorney, Joe Navarro, argued that the sheer amount his client received from her mom doesn’t prove that she “reasonably knew” the money had to be stolen. Judge Daniel Bute will decide Kolodziej’s fate Thursday afternoon.