Two recent alleged instances of fraud and embezzlement in Edgar and Iroquois counties are prime examples of why public officials suspected of wrongdoing must be prosecuted, according to the Edgar County Watchdogs (ECW).
“The fact we are seeing more fraud by public officials is an example of what happens when the message of no prosecutions for such actions is sent to the public through years of ignoring the problem,” ECW co-founder Kirk Allen wrote on the group's Illinois Leaks website.
The Edgar County case concerns an illegal vehicle purchase and the personal use of that vehicle, Allen wrote. The matter was raised in a county oard meeting and is noted in the Clark Edgar Rural Water District audit report. When presenting the report, the auditor called for the matter to be pursued further, according to the ECW.
Edgar County Watchdogs co-founder Kirk Allen
The second case involves the alleged embezzlement of more than $50,000 in Iroquois County, as reported to the ECW. While the group did not have more details, it said it has submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for an audit report that uncovered the alleged crime. Allen wrote that Iroquois County has a history of not pursuing public corruption.
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