A top aide to Cook County’s board president resigned Tuesday, one day after her arrest on charges of stealing more than $300,000 in taxpayer money and rigging more than a dozen no-bid contracts for her personal gain.
A top aide to Cook County’s board president resigned Tuesday, one day after her arrest on charges of stealing more than $300,000 in taxpayer money and rigging more than a dozen no-bid contracts for her personal gain. Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s office issued a statement Tuesday saying Stroger had asked for and accepted the resignation of Carla Oglesby, 41, of Chicago. Oglesby faces up to 30 years in prison on felony charges of theft of government property, money laundering and official misconduct. She had worked for Stroger’s unsuccessful re-election campaign and was put on the county payroll after the Feb. 2 primary. Just two weeks after she was hired, Oglesby had implemented a scheme to be paid as a consultant, and her public relations company had received a check for nearly $25,000, prosecutors said in court documents filed Tuesday. Certain contracts for less than $25,000 don’t require county board approval. Oglesby’s public relations company and others tied to her charged taxpayers for work never done while Oglesby pocketed much of the cash, prosecutors said. At least six of the companies weren’t incorporated with the Illinois Secretary of State until after the contracts were issued. The charges "should send a strong signal that there will be extremely serious penalties for anyone who steals public money here in Cook County," said Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez during a news conference Tuesday in Chicago. Alvarez encouraged people with information about the case to "come forward and call us before we call you." Alvarez declined to comment on whether the investigation would end with Oglesby. The court filings said one unnamed public official signed letters justifying the contracts because another unnamed public official "pressured him to do so." One of the sham companies was hired to inform county residents who’d been affected by flooding about government disaster relief. Another company was supposed to raise awareness about composting. A county employee who did write flood relief news releases told investigators she was "outraged" that Oglesby’s company was taking credit for the work, the court filings said. Bond for Oglesby has been set at $250,000. She’s being held in protective custody at Cook County Jail after requesting the special accommodation during her intake interview, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s office. The protective custody means she’ll be housed alone in a cell for 23 hours a day. She appeared in court Tuesday and didn’t speak to reporters. A message left with her attorney wasn’t immediately returned. Stroger’s office in a written statement pledged to cooperate with the investigation. Copyright 2010 Associated Press.
About Post Author
