Ex-employee of state welfare agency receives six-month jail term after failure to act on signs of abuse

A former Illinois child welfare worker has been sentenced to six months in jail in connection with the death of a 5-year-old boy, Andrew “AJ” Freund. Lake County Associate Judge George Strickland handed down the sentence on Thursday, which also includes a $1,000 donation to a children’s advocacy centre and 200 hours of community service, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.

Carlos Acosta, who previously worked with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, was convicted of child endangerment in October after it was determined he failed to act on clear signs of abuse before AJ’s death in April 2019. Although Acosta was acquitted of reckless conduct, the judge found that his inaction contributed to the boy’s tragic fate.

The boy’s mother, JoAnn Cunningham, has already been sentenced to 35 years in prison for murdering her son, while his father, Andrew Freund Sr., received 30 years for concealing the crime by burying the child’s body.

AJ’s death followed an earlier intervention by police in December 2018, when an officer discovered a large bruise on the boy’s hip during a domestic dispute at his home. Despite a recommendation from a doctor to keep AJ in protective custody, Acosta decided to release him back into his father’s care. Investigations revealed that Acosta had overlooked critical signs of abuse, such as bruising on the child’s face, and had failed to report the poor living conditions at the family home.

In his defence, Acosta’s legal team argued that the prosecutors had unfairly relied on hindsight and speculation regarding the child’s death, accusing them of scapegoating Acosta and the Department of Children and Family Services for systemic failures.