Nurses charged with bilking taxpayers

Nurses charged with bilking taxpayers


Money to train LPNs went to personal checking account, per federal indictment

10:56 p.m. CDT, July 6, 2011

SPRINGFIELD — Two Chicago women were charged with stealing up to $500,000 in taxpayer funds, marking the first indictments stemming from an ongoing federal investigation of questionable state grants that include several tied to recently retired Sen. Rickey Hendon.

Margaret A. Davis, 59, a former program director for the Chicago Chapter of the National Black Nurses Association, was charged with 14 counts of mail fraud and two counts of money laundering, according to a June 9 indictment quietly unsealed in U.S. District Court over the holiday weekend. Tonja Cook, 43, a former treasurer of the association, was charged with a single count of mail fraud.

Elections Davis and Cook entered not guilty pleas at their arraignments Wednesday. Neither Davis nor her attorney would comment. Cook's attorney could not be reached.

Federal authorities allege Davis and Cook directed, solicited and received more than $1 million in grants between December 2005 and June 2009 from several state agencies, including a $460,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. That grant was for a program called the "Young Enough to Make a Difference" project, which the agency said was to encourage more minority members in Chicago to become nurses.

Please read complete article at link below:
 
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-nurses-group-indictment-20110707,0,1091273.story
 
FEDS, what are you waiting for?  Whistle blowers are available for the Probate Court of Cook County. Lucius Verenus, Schoolmaster, ProbateSharks.com