Former Village of Washington Park Mayor’s Assistant Charged With Misapplication of Property, Filing False Tax Return
| U.S. Attorney’s Office March 17, 2009 |
A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on March 17th, 2009, LINDA CONNOR, age 54, of Belleville, Illinois, was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in East St. Louis, Illinois in a two-count Indictment charging her with Filing a False Federal Income Tax Return and Misapplication of Property Under the Care, Custody and Control of Washington Park, A Local Government That Receives Federal Funds. The charges carry a maximum statutory penalty of up to thirteen years imprisonment, a fine of up to $500,000, three years supervised release and mandatory restitution.
The Indictment charges that LINDA CONNOR as the Mayor’s Assistant for the Village of Washington Park intentionally misapplied property and that she filed a false 2006 federal income tax return which understated her taxable income by approximately $190,000.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury
The investigation of the case was handled by the Internal Revenue Service/Criminal Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of the case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Norman R. Smith.
If you come across evidence of public corruption activities please contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation at (877) 884-7633 (U-TIP-OFF).