ARCHIVED NEWS STORIES | 2009 | 2008 |
Inspector General's Office Quarterly Report
April 15, 2010 - The IGO today released the public report on the operations of the Inspector General's Office (IGO) during the first quarter of 2010, filed with the City Council pursuant to Section 2-156-120 of the Municipal Code of the City of Chicago. In order to provide more detail on the IGO and its activities, the report includes among other things, summaries of IGO investigations sustained this quarter.
March 4, 2010 - A former Department of Cultural Affairs worker entered a guilty plea today in Cook County Criminal Court, as part of an agreement with prosecutors. Ming Liu (now Ming Liu Bengtsson) was indicted last August for felony theft, forgery, and official misconduct, following an investigation by the Chicago Inspector General's Office. Read more...
Click here for printer-friendly news release (pdf)
Statement from the Inspector General's Office
February 8, 2010 - The proposal announced today by Mayor Daley to amend the Inspector General's ordinance constitutes a watershed moment in the history of the City of Chicago...
Read the statement from the IGO (pdf) | News Release (pdf)
Federal Grand Jury Indicts City Contractor on Fraud Charges
February 4, 2010 - Following a joint investigation by the Chicago Inspector General's Office and the FBI, a federal grand jury today returned a six-count indictment against a City contractor, as well as its owner and her spouse on felony fraud charges. Azeteca Supply Co., a certified minority-and-woman-owned enterprise for the City of Chicago, is accused of receiving more than $9.5 million while serving as a sham contractor on numerous projects at O'Hare International Airport and another at a Metra commuter station. Both Azteca and its owner, Aurora Venegas, were indicted on five counts of mail fraud. Venegas' husband, Thomas Masen, was charged with mail fraud and one count of making false statements to federal agents.
News Release from the U.S. Attorney's Office (pdf) | Read the Indictment (pdf)
January 28, 2010 - The former head of a non-profit social service organization pled guilty today in Cook County Circuit Court to one count of felony theft of government funds. Patti Buffington, 51, of Chicago was arrested in October 2006 and charged for the misappropriation of city, state, and federal funds provided to Genesis House - an organization that assists women in leaving prostitution.
City Council confirms Joseph Ferguson as Inspector General
November 18, 2009 - Members of the City Council voted unanimously to confirm Joseph Ferguson as the new Inspector General of the City of Chicago. Ferguson takes the position after spending more than 15 years in the United States Attorney's Office, most recently serving as Chief of the Money Laundering and Forfeiture Section. He had worked previously in that division as Deputy Chief and also served as Deputy Chief of Financial Crimes and Special Prosecutions.
Inspector General's Office files suit
November 4, 2009 - The Inspector General's Office (IGO) for the City of Chicago filed an action in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, to enforce a subpoena for documents that the IGO served on the City's Department of Law. The IGO took this step because the Law Department has not complied with the IGO's subpoena, and the IGO believes that the Law Department does not have a valid ground for withholding the requested documents.
Read the Complaint (pdf) - 2.3 MB
Operation Crooked Code: Zoning inspector pleads guilty, agrees to cooperate
November 3, 2009 - A City of Chicago zoning inspector has pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. In exchange for his cooperation, federal prosecutors are recommending that William Wellhausen be sentenced to 15 months in prison and pay fines totaling more than $33,000.
Read the plea agreement (pdf) | Operation Crooked Code
City Dept. of Environment inspector facing federal charges for bribery
October 26, 2009 - A criminal complaint has been unsealed against Michael Cease, an inspector in the City of Chicago's Department of Environment. Cease is charged with federal bribery for allegedly accepting two cash bribe payments totaling $1,150 in September. The 39-year-old was arrested following an investigation by the City of Chicago Inspector General's Office and the FBI.
NEW (11/3/2009): Read the Indictment | Read the Complaint
Operation Crooked Code: City inspector arrested, charged with bribery
September 22, 2009 - A City of Chicago building inspector was arrested and charged in a federal criminal complaint for allegedly accepting cash bribes. The complaint alleges Dominick Owens took more than $20,000 in bribes, in return for delivering Certificates of Occupancy for numerous construction projects.
U.S. Attorney's Office News Release | Criminal complaint | Operation Crooked Code
Federal Jury Convicts City Buildings Supervisor for Conspiracy, False Statements
September 15, 2009 - A jury in U.S. District Court has convicted Michael Reese, a Supervising Building/Construction Inspector for the City of Chicago, on two counts of making false statements and one count of conspiracy to commit fraud. Reese becomes the 12th person convicted as part of "Operation Crooked Code", a joint investigation between the Department of Justice and the Chicago Inspector General's Office.
Read the Indictment (pdf) | Read the Verdict (pdf) | Operation Crooked Code
Former City Worker Indicted on Theft, Official Misconduct, and Forgery Charges
August 19, 2009 - The Cook County State's Attorneys Office announced a four-count indictment today against a former employee of the City's Department of Cultural Affairs. During the course of an unrelated investigation in July 2008, the Inspector General's Office discovered a copy of a $20,000 check, made out to the defendant, Ming Liu. Because the check's signature was inconsistent with others issued by the tourism fund, the IGO investigated further. The evidence was forwarded to the Cook County State's Attorneys Office.
Read More from the State's Attorneys Office | Printer-Friendly News Release (pdf)
Federal Bribery Charges Filed against City Building Inspector
August 10, 2009 - A city of Chicago building inspector was arrested today on federal charges for allegedly accepting a $1,000 cash bribe from a cooperating contractor to approve an inspection at a residential construction site. Jose Hernandez allegedly solicited cash bribes totaling tens of thousands of dollars from contractors, developers and homeowners since at least 2005, according to a criminal complaint unsealed this afternoon. The case is part of an ongoing federal corruption investigation, code-named Operation Crooked Code.
Read the News Release | Read the Criminal Complaint | More news from Operation Crooked Code
IGO Report Closely Examines Parking Meter Lease, Recommends Major Reforms
June 2, 2009 - A new report released by the Inspector General's Office sheds light on the manner by which the lease of Chicago's Metered Parking System was planned, negotiated, and implemented. The independent review shows inadequate financial considerations by City officials, the failure to explore viable alternatives to the 75-year lease as a means to fill the 2009 budget deficit, and it recommends how the City can undertake the lease or sale of public assets in the future using a more deliberative process.
Company Executives Indicted in Conspiracy to Defraud the City of Chicago
April 21, 2009 - A Chicago grand jury indicted the president and vice president of an Illinois refuse disposal container repair company for engaging in a conspiracy and scheme to defraud the city of Chicago on a contract for the repair of refuse carts. Douglas E. Ritter and Steven Fenzl were charged in a four-count indictment, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
The charges announced today resulted from an ongoing investigation of the refuse cart repair industry being conducted by the Department's Antitrust Division and the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General.
U.S. Department of Justice News Release | Read the Indictment (pdf)
IG Audit Finds Waste, Lack of Controls at the City's Central Pharmacy Warehouse.
February 2, 2009 - An audit by the Inspector General's Office found the Chicago Department of Public Health wasted approximately $529,000 in medications resulting in at least a $365,000 loss, did not account for $639,000 of vaccines, and did not properly track controlled substances. IG Auditors conducted a performance audit of CDPH Central Pharmacy Warehouse operations for calendar year 2007.
Read the report (pdf)...
Illinois Reform Commission Releases Final Report
April 28, 2009 - The Illinois Reform Commission (IRC) issued its 100-day report today, recommending a wide range of ethics reforms in six key areas: campaign finance; procurement; enforcement; government structure; transparency; and inspiring better government.
The Commission was chaired by former U.S. Attorney Patrick Collins, and members include City of Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman.
Read the IRC News Release | IRC Final Report | Report Appendices
Illinois Reform Commission Unveils 'Pay-to-Play' Reform Proposals
March 31, 2009 - The Illinois Reform Commission (IRC), whose members include City of Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman, today announced a series of reform proposals covering campaign finance, procurement, enforcement and transparency.
Read the IRC News Release (pdf) | View the IRC's Proposals (pdf)
Hoffman Op-Ed: The Cost of Corruption - Chicago Tribune
January 30, 2009 - "Is it in our DNA?" One of Illinois' most experienced reporters asked me that in 2005 when I was named Chicago's inspector general. She was talking about corruption. Read more...
Inspector General Hoffman Addresses Reform Commission Meeting
January 22, 2009 - Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman addressed fellow members of the Illinois Reform Commission, a panel formed to explore and recommend ways to clean up government in Illinois.
Read the statement | Read more about the appointment | Learn about the Illinois Reform Commission
Inspector General Speaks to City Council in 2009 Budget Hearings
October 24, 2008- The Inspector General testified before the City Council Committee on the Budget and Government Operations as part of the annual budget hearings. Inspector General Hoffman's opening statement provided a summary of the Office's activities and accomplishments over the last year.
Read the Inspector General's statement...
Investigation Finds Widespread Waste in City's Garbage Operations
October 8, 2008 - Between May and September 2008, investigators with the Inspector General's Office spent 10 weeks conducting intensive surveillance in 10 of the City's 50 wards, spread across all parts of the City. On October 8th, 2008, the Inspector General's Office issued a report detailing its findings.