An Illinois state senator was formally accused of collecting a salary as well as health and pension benefits from a labor union “for which he did little or no work” by a federal grand jury Friday in Cook County.
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SPRINGFIELD — An Illinois state senator was formally accused of collecting a salary as well as health and pension benefits from a labor union “for which he did little or no work” by a federal grand jury Friday in Cook County.
Villa Park Democrat Tom Cullerton, who has served in the General Assembly since January 2013, is charged with 40 counts in an indictment alleging he “knowingly conspire(d)” to embezzle from the Teamsters Joint Council 25 and Teamsters Local Union 734 Unions. Cullerton is also facing one count alleging he lied on health forms.
John Theis, the senator’s attorney, said in an emailed statement to the Chicago Tribune that the allegations against Cullerton are “simply not true, and we will be defending the charges in court.”
“As an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Army and highly respected public servant, Tom Cullerton is a person who is dedicated to his family, constituents, and all Illinoisans,” Theis said in the statement. “The action by the U.S. Department of Justice has nothing to do with Mr. Cullerton’s work in the Illinois State Senate, but is the result of false claims by disgraced Teamsters boss John Coli in an apparent attempt to avoid penalties for his wrongdoing.”
Theis is married to Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis.
The federal government, in court documents, claims the senator’s purported actions caused the union to lose $274,066 from January 2013 through February 2016 — $188,320 in salary and allowances; $64,068 in medical and pension plan contributions; and $21,678 in “reimbursed medical claims.”
According to the indictment, Cullerton also received holiday bonuses for three years, and collected about $60,000 from January 15, 2015, through the end of January 2016.