Former County Official Convicted of Fraud

Lee Edwards | As of Thursday, September 5, 2013

Carla Oglesby
Carla Oglesby

Carla Oglesby, the former deputy chief of staff to former Cook County President Todd Stroger, has been convicted of theft of government property (Class X felony), theft of government property by deception (Class X felony), unlawful stringing of bids (Class 4 felony), and money laundering (Class 1 felony), is facing a possible sentence of up to 30 years in prison. Oglesby’s activity accounts for more than $300,000 of Cook County tax payer funds that have been lost.

Oglesby, formerly the deputy chief of staff to former President Todd Stroger, was convicted of Theft of Government Property (Class X felony), Theft of Government Property by Deception (Class X felony), Money Laundering (Class 1 felony) and Unlawful Stringing of Bids (Class 4) for her role in awarding a series of sham vendor contracts. Oglesby, 44, of Chicago, could face up to 30 years in prison when she is sentenced on the charges.

According to prosecutors, within two weeks after being hired by the Stroger Administration, in February 2010 Oglesby set a plan into motion to defraud and steal. Via her company, CGC Communications, Oglesby paid herself a check in the amount of $24,975.00 for a no-bid public relations contract. Yet, neither Oglesby nor representatives from her company completed any of the tasks for which she was paid.

According to prosecutors, Oglesby engaged in a “bid stringing” scheme to award contracts to four companies that were owned by or controlled by associates of Oglesby in amounts just under $25,000, in an attempt to circumvent county ordinance regulations that require approval of the Cook County Board of Commissioners for personal service contracts that exceed $25,000.

In total, Oglesby was convicted of participating in awarding or approving payments for over a dozen no-bid, sole-source contracts with purported communications companies. Several of these companies were incorporated with the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office after the contracts were signed and payments were made to each of these companies prior to any work being performed under the contracts. The loss to Cook County taxpayers from these contracts is estimated to have exceeded $300,000.

“We are extremely pleased with this verdict today given the brazen nature of these thefts by a high ranking public employee who was supposed to be working on behalf of Cook County taxpayers, not reaching into their pockets to steal from them,” State’s Attorney Alvarez said. “This case should send a strong signal that there are extremely serious penalties for those who would engage in this type of criminal behavior.”

According to prosecutors, just 10 days after she was hired by the county, Oglesby had already engineered a plan to be paid as a consultant and her company, CGC Communications, and received a check in the amount of $24,975.00 for a no-bid public relations contract. But the work was never performed by Oglesby or her company, despite the fact that the county check was received, cashed and that Oglesby used the funds to pay company business expenses as well as making cash withdrawals from the company account, according to prosecutors.

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