Illinois Investigates State Parole Board Members' Bankruptcies
From the Associated Press
Illinois is investigating bankruptcy filings by two state parole board members after recent newspaper reports highlighting the personal financial problems of several political appointees.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Bruce Rauner told the Belleville News-Democrat that officials are examining the bankruptcy claims of Illinois Prison Review Board members Adam Monreal, a former assistant Cook County state's attorney, and Eric Gregg, a former Harrisburg mayor.
Screenings of prospective appointees include criminal background checks but don't extend to reviews of their personal finances, said Ken Tupy, a board lawyer. Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly concurred.
"We do not run credit checks on appointees," she said.
Monreal is a former board chairman, one-time Chicago mayoral assistant and ex-supervisor of the workers' compensation fraud unit for the Illinois Department of Insurance. In 2011, he declared annual income of less than $40,000 while earning more than $90,000 from the state, the newspaper reported. He did not respond to the newspaper's written requests for comment.
The state is also examining whether Gregg improperly received $48,000 in annual outside income while on the state board.
Gregg has said the additional pay should have been entered under the name of his wife, a teacher's aide, though she was listed as a "non-filing spouse" on the bankruptcy petition. Patti Gregg told the newspaper that the additional income stems from her operation of Southern Illinois Energy Group, a company founded by her husband and Lu Ann Walker.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Associated Press
Illinois is investigating bankruptcy filings by two state parole board members after recent newspaper reports highlighting the personal financial problems of several political appointees.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Bruce Rauner told the Belleville News-Democrat that officials are examining the bankruptcy claims of Illinois Prison Review Board members Adam Monreal, a former assistant Cook County state's attorney, and Eric Gregg, a former Harrisburg mayor.
Screenings of prospective appointees include criminal background checks but don't extend to reviews of their personal finances, said Ken Tupy, a board lawyer. Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly concurred.
"We do not run credit checks on appointees," she said.
Monreal is a former board chairman, one-time Chicago mayoral assistant and ex-supervisor of the workers' compensation fraud unit for the Illinois Department of Insurance. In 2011, he declared annual income of less than $40,000 while earning more than $90,000 from the state, the newspaper reported. He did not respond to the newspaper's written requests for comment.
The state is also examining whether Gregg improperly received $48,000 in annual outside income while on the state board.
Gregg has said the additional pay should have been entered under the name of his wife, a teacher's aide, though she was listed as a "non-filing spouse" on the bankruptcy petition. Patti Gregg told the newspaper that the additional income stems from her operation of Southern Illinois Energy Group, a company founded by her husband and Lu Ann Walker.
Read more in our daily News Update...