FBI raids county; Agents spend most of day at human resources office

Daily Herald

September 22, 2006

By Joseph Ryan

Federal agents raided the Chicago office of the Cook County human resources department Thursday apparently in connection with an ongoing investigation of county hiring.

A federal probe into contracts for bribes at Cook County has been ongoing, and there have been various allegations of hiring fraud at the county. But FBI spokeswoman Cynthia Yates declined to comment on the nature of Thursday's search or the overall investigation.

Yet, Cook County commissioners of all stripes made it clear Thursday they believed the probe is tied to an investigation into whether illegal hiring put convicted felons in top positions over more qualified candidates.

"I don't know what they are looking for or what they will find," said Chicago Ald. Todd Stroger, the son of former veteran Cook County Board President John Stroger. The father withdrew from office and this year's election after months of hiding after a stroke, and Todd has taken his place on November's ballot.

But the son said the raid was likely related to the Shakman Decree, a court order that bars political affiliation as a basis for filling jobs at the state and local level.

U.S. District Judge Wayne R. Andersen has appointed a special monitor to look over the shoulder of city officials as they hire employees to make certain the Shakman Decree is enforced. Michael Shakman, the Chicago attorney who brought the suit that led to the order 30 years ago, asked Andersen to name a monitor with oversight over Cook County hiring as well.

The county's human resources department is in charge of employees under the Cook County Board president, who is now Bobbie Steele, a Chicago Democrat. She took over this summer from the ailing John Stroger, who had led the county since 1994.

Steele refused comment.

The raid also comes after several county commissioners called for a federal investigation of hiring after Stroger's departure.

The agents arrived at Cook County's Bureau of Human Resources at 9 a.m. and remained behind closed doors there into the afternoon.

County Commissioner Tony Peraica, who is running against Todd Stroger for the county's top spot, speculated agents were looking for evidence that hiring test scores and qualifications had been faked to hand county jobs to those with clout.

Peraica complained of "a criminal conspiracy to deny the rights of well-qualified persons and applicants to jobs that were instead given to the politically connected."

But Commissioner Mike Quigley, a Democrat not allied with the Strogers, said both parties are responsible for the recent scandals. "To have a mud fight, to say one party is dirtier than the other makes no sense," Quigley said.

The raid, and resulting revelation of yet another federal probe of Illinois government, comes during various investigations regarding fixed hiring and contracts at both the state level, under Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and Chicago.

- Daily Herald news services contributed to this story.

Copyright 2006, Paddock Publications

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