Former DCFS employee who mishandled AJ Freund case sentenced to prison – NBC Chicago

A former employee of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was sentenced to prison Thursday for mishandling the case of 5-year-old AJ Freund, who was beaten to death in his home in Crystal Lake in 2019.

Lake County Associate Judge George Strickland sentenced Carlos Acosta to 6 months in prison, 30 months of probation, 200 hours of community service and ordered him to make a $1,000 donation to the advocacy center children of McHenry County.

Acosta was convicted of endangering the life of a child last year in what is believed to be the first successful prosecution of a child welfare worker in Illinois.

Acosta's former supervisor at DCFS, Andrew Polovin, was found not guilty of all his charges.

“Ultimately, AJ suffered…society ignored him, DCFS ignored him, Mr. Acosta ignored him,” Judge Strickland said.

A victim impact letter written by AJ's maternal grandmother was read by one of the prosecutors.

“I am devastated by the loss of my grandson and I will never be the same,” he said.

Acosta also went to court and asked for leniency.

“I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused AJ’s family,” Acosta said.

AJ died in April 2019 after being beaten by his mother, JoAnn Cunningham, who is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence for his murder.

AJ's father is serving a 30-year prison sentence for covering up the crime. The family home was subsequently demolished in 2020.