(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The child welfare caseworker, found guilty of mishandling the AJ Freund case before the Crystal Lake boy was killed by his parents, has received his punishment.
“At the end of the day, AJ suffered. Society ignored him. DCFS ignored him. Mr. Polovin ignored him. Worst of all, Mr. Acosta ignored him.”
Judge George Strickland handed down a sentence of six months in prison, 30 months of probation and 200 hours of community service to Carlos Acosta.
In court, the 58-year-old former DCFS worker was accused of failing to take proper precautions to protect 5-year-old AJ Freund, despite evidence of abuse and neglect by his parents.
41-year-old Joann Cunningham and 56-year-old Andrew Freund Sr. eventually pleaded guilty to the boy’s 2019 murder.
Ahead of sentencing, Acosta addressed the courtroom.
“A day does not go by where I do not regret and feel remorse over the loss of AJ. All I can ask today is leniency from the court, the opportunity for redemption from my community and forgiveness from my God.”
Acosta’s DCFS supervisor, 51-year-old Andrew Polovin, was previously cleared of similar charges including endangering the life of a child and reckless conduct.
Acosta and Polovin were both fired for their handling of AJ’s case, along with DCFS caseworker Kathleen Gold.
Acosta and Polovin had been involved in the investigation of a large hip bruise suffered by AJ Freund the year before he was murdered. There are questions about the closing of that case with a conclusion that allegations of abuse were "unfounded."
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