Corruption charges against 3 suburban officials

Corruption charges against 3 suburban officials


By Joseph Ryan



Tribune reporter



1:42 PM CDT, August 21, 2012


Cook County prosecutors laid out charges against three suburban public officials today in two separate cases, accusing them of fleecing taxpayers from Bellwood to Harvey and Dixmoor.



The former superintendent and a board member of West Harvey-Dixmoor School District 147 were charged with multiple felony counts of theft. The board member, Mable Chapman, didn’t appear in court today for her bond hearing, and a judge said he was issuing a warrant for her arrest. It wasn’t immediately clear if Chapman was still an elected board member of the district as of today.



Alex Boyd, 65, who retired as superintendent last year after about a decade at the helm of the struggling district, is accused of fraudulently cashing out about $350,000 worth of sick and vacation time and racking up $57,000 in unauthorized credit card charges. The Richton Park man was taken into custody after his bond hearing and will have to post $15,000 to be released before his next court date.



Chapman, 58, of Harvey is accused of helping Boyd bilk the district while having family members hired by the district and taking family members on taxpayer-funded trips across the country.



Meanwhile, prosecutors unveiled further details of the charges against former Bellwood administrator Roy McCampbell during his bond hearing today.



McCampbell is accused of inflating his salary at the western suburb to nearly half-a-million dollars by misleading the village board about the details in his contracts. McCampbell, 57, of Schiller Park was indicted by a grand jury earlier this month on multiple counts of felony theft and official misconduct. He was granted a recognizance bond today.

McCampbell retired from his post in late 2009.



Boyd and Chapman couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. McCampbell’s attorney said his client is innocent and being used as a political scapegoat.



jbryan@tribune.com





http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-corruption-charges-against-3-suburban-officials-20120821,0,620140.story