A Twin City real estate developer has been arrested and charged with allegedly embezzling money from a Bloomington language academy.
Rathnakumar Ramachandran, 51, of Bloomington, is accused of stealing more than $100,000 over a four-year period.
Prosecutors charged Ramachandran with theft greater than $100,000 and less than $500,000, a Class 1 felony. If convicted, he could face a possible 4-15 year prison sentence and fines of up to $25,000. Ramachandran is additionally charged with Class 2 felony theft.
Open since 2015, the Dr. Abdul Kalam Tamil Palli offers Tamil classes to children aged 3-10. Tamil is a South Asian language spoken in India, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia.
Without naming the school, a Bloomington Police Department spokesperson confirmed the leader of a nonprofit reported Ramachandran on Aug. 20, 2025, as having stolen more than $100,000 between 2020 and 2024. That person told police Ramachandran was the organization's treasurer.
Ramachandran is a longtime Bloomington resident and housing developer, whose recent projects include a 58-unit townhome development in southwest Bloomington that was expected to break ground this summer.
Investigators found evidence Ramachandran deposited money into his personal account and a business account used to fund his real estate projects.
Public tax filings list the nonprofit Dr. Abdul Kalam Tamil Palli's gross annual receipts as less than $50,000 between 2022 and 2025. The school's phone number has been disconnected and an email requesting comment was not returned.
A grand jury returned an indictment on Jan. 28. Ramachandran was arrested Thursday and has since been released from McLean County custody awaiting trail. His next court date is Feb. 13.
