Ex-Cook County Workers Charged With Fraud

The Chicago Sun-Times reports on Crook County,Illinois:

Three former Cook County government employees conspired with two ministers and others in a fraud scheme that siphoned more than $2 million from banks and taxpayers, prosecutors said Friday.

Rudy Sanchez, who retired after running the county’s job training program, was criminally charged, along with two politically connected deputies in that department, Ronald Harper and Roberto Rivera.


All worked in the Cook County Board President’s Office of Employment Training program and all were involved in approving funds to go to a sham training program run by two Downstate men, prosecutors said.

Charles Koen, a convicted felon and purported civil rights leader who runs United Front Inc. in the St. Louis area, and Alex Brooks are accused of running the sham training program to provide job skills in carpentry. Koen and Brooks identified themselves as ministers with Christian Hope Church, 7543 S. Aberdeen.

Prosecutors said when Employment Training Program underlings found empty buildings and no training going on, they were pressured by Sanchez, Harper and Rivera to certify United Front as a legitimate training program.

Harper, who has ties to former Cook County Board President John Stroger and Commissioner Deborah Sims, is accused of going on a site visit and approving United Front to receive funds, despite no signs of training.

You've got to have high taxes so some people can steal money and create laughable programs.