*** UPDATE *** I’d heard about this, but I totally missed Ray Long’s story…
A former top financial officer with the Illinois State Police Merit Board has been indicted by a grand jury in Springfield for allegedly padding her salary significantly by filing for overtime she didn’t work.
Jenny Thornley, 41, a political activist whose campaign work has included Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 2018 run for governor, is accused in an indictment issued Wednesday of stealing between $10,000 and $100,000 by allegedly forging documents purportedly signed by Jack Garcia, the merit board’s executive director.
As Garcia started investigating the overtime claims in early 2020, Thornley reached out to multiple ranking officials in the Pritzker administration and first lady M.K. Pritzker, according to separate filings in federal civil court.
Thornley was terminated from her post as the board’s chief fiscal officer and director of personnel in July 2020. In a federal lawsuit filed last April that names both the board and Garcia as defendants, Thornley claims she was fired by the merit board in retaliation after she filed complaints alleging sexual harassment and abuse by Garcia. He denied those charges. […]
An outside review for the merit board led by former federal prosecutor Christina Egan found evidence sufficient to support a finding that Thornley forged documents to make “payments for herself for overtime she did not work.”
The outside review also didn’t find sufficient evidence to support allegations that Garcia sexually assaulted Thornley.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* We talked about the 90,000 documents back in July. The interesting part to me is the line about how “The parties have not engaged in plea negotiations to date”…
* Tribune…
The former head of a state agency that was reviewing whether then-President Donald Trump was due a $1 million property tax refund for his Chicago skyscraper violated the law by deleting computer files from his official account while facing an inspector general investigation, according to a report released Thursday.
Mauro Glorioso, then executive director of Illinois’ Property Tax Appeal Board, was informed in late September 2020 that Gov. J.B. Pritzker planned to replace him as head of the agency, records show. At the time, Glorioso was under investigation by the Office of Executive Inspector General regarding a case before the board. […]
The inspector general’s office determined the initial complaint was “unfounded” and redacted details from that inquiry in its report. But the office found that Glorioso violated agency policy and state law by deleting emails and other documents related to the matter while preparing to leave the $116,748-per-year job. Board employees had been instructed to retain copies of all files related to the matter, according to the inspector general’s report.
The inspector general’s office recommended barring Glorioso from future state employment.
* Sun-Times…
For decades, under five governors, Chicago attorney and banker James J. Banks served on the board of the Illinois Tollway system, helping oversee the state agency until he and other members were dumped amid a reform push as Gov. J.B. Pritzker took office in 2019.
But now the Illinois Gaming Board has rejected Banks’ application for a video gambling license, citing requirements including having “good character, honesty and integrity” and saying he “did not meet the requirements” for the lucrative state license.
“The board conducted an investigation which included a review of your business and social associations,” gaming board administrator Marcus D. Fruchter wrote earlier this year in a letter obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. “Based on the results of that investigation, the board finds that your business and social associations would adversely affect public confidence and trust in video gaming and would discredit or tend to discredit the Illinois gaming industry.” […]
Asked about Banks’ gaming license application being denied, DeLeo says: “I don’t know anybody that’s squarer than Jimmy Banks. If I was him, I’d sue the gaming board. How could they say that about him? He’s never even had a parking ticket.”
* SJ-R…
Community organizer and one-time state representative candidate John H. Keating II on Wednesday was arrested and charged with arson and criminal damage to property in connection with a fire at an Illinois State Fair stand on Aug. 21.
Keating, 33, was arrested by Illinois State Police without incident. Keating bonded out after about a three-hour stay at the Sangamon County Jail.
A co-defendant, Zakary Bunt, 19, of Hot Springs, Arkansas, was also in custody in Missouri. Bunt, a carnival worker at the fair, also has been charged with one count of arson and one count of criminal damage to property. […]
In a Facebook post, Keating maintained his innocence and said it was “a targeted prosecution” and “a modern day Red scare witch hunt.”
- Hannibal Lecter - Friday, Sep 24, 21 @ 12:05 pm:
=== Asked about Banks’ gaming license application being denied, DeLeo says: “I don’t know anybody that’s squarer than Jimmy Banks. If I was him, I’d sue the gaming board. How could they say that about him? He’s never even had a parking ticket.” ===
This is hilarious. I don’t know Banks from Adam, but the fact that Jimmy DeLeo is vouching for you gives a different context to the story.
- Hard D - Friday, Sep 24, 21 @ 12:09 pm:
Reform the tollway now that’s comical. Under JB’s new board and executive director they have hired over 25 people from CHA and given them all salaries over $150,000 per year. And the new Chairman voted on a contract for his old employer on his very first meeting. The Sun Times and Bob Herguth did a great job reporting on all this. JB didn’t reform anything he just changed the players
- Amalia - Friday, Sep 24, 21 @ 12:15 pm:
it puzzles me why some really great people I know still associate with DeLeo. the sentence in the denial about analyzing business and social associates should give everyone pause about the people with whom they associate. be attached by money or friendship with someone who is sketchy and it can affect you.
- Sir Reel - Friday, Sep 24, 21 @ 12:35 pm:
Finally!
A post about a carny, from Arkansas no less.
Made my day.
- Chisox - Friday, Sep 24, 21 @ 12:43 pm:
What Hard D said x100! Senator Murphy was pushing to look into this and then covid hit. Hope she resumes her interest and/or JB admin takes a serious look at what the CHA crew is doing over at the tollway
- Roman - Friday, Sep 24, 21 @ 12:56 pm:
@Hannibal, my thoughts exactly.
“…squarer than Jimmy Banks.”
Downright Runyonesque. The Sun-Times reporters must have jumped out of their shoes when DeLeo gave them that quote. No risk of an editor saying “this story needs a little more color.”
- Drake Mallard - Friday, Sep 24, 21 @ 1:11 pm:
Hard D is totally correct. Just waiting to see the Republicans dig into this story to give the Governor some gray hair for his re-election bid
- regular democrat - Friday, Sep 24, 21 @ 1:35 pm:
It really made my day to see a quote from Jimmy (D-How u doin?) DeLeo. I miss guys like him.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 24, 21 @ 1:50 pm:
===Feds have produced “well in excess of 90,000 documents” and “over 8,000 recordings ….”
“The parties have not engaged in plea negotiations to date.”===
This case, this whole case, is one big donut;
So much around a big hole of nothing?
- Dunkin Donut - Friday, Sep 24, 21 @ 3:15 pm:
===So much around a big hole of nothing?
Oswego Willy I think the tasty Munchkin treat is coming in about 60 days or so according to Mr Seidel’s post last week.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 24, 21 @ 3:32 pm:
- Dunkin Donut -
I have a a phone notification already set.
Have a good weekend.
- Anonymous - Friday, Sep 24, 21 @ 4:21 pm:
Whatever happened to Leann Shirley who stole $$$ from the State Police Heritage Foundation?? Wasn’t that under Garcia’s watch too?