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March 28, 2024

Auditor General Frank Mautino – Will the people ever see justice in Illinois?

By Kirk Allen & John Kraft

On October 28, 2017

Illinois (ECWd) –

In a state that is truly crumbling, we find investigators who can’t comprehend and apply the law, police who refuse to investigate public officials, appointed board members who can’t even do the one job they were assigned to do and top elected and appointed officials that lie.  Yes, this is Illinois.  This problem is not just at the State level but from the bottom up, Township to the Governor.

Frank Mautino was appointed to the top Watchdog position of the State of Illinois, Auditor General.  A position that demands trust and accountability.  We first broke the story on what we alleged as clear illegal spending and reporting of campaign funds in this article January 21st, 2016.  The interest went viral and numerous other media outlets dogpiled on the top watchdog.

Even viral enough for the US Attorney to get involved, which initially resulted in claims of cooperation from Mautino’s public relations person, yet here we sit almost two years later with not a peep from those authorities, much like matters at the College of DuPage.  All indications to the public is our laws don’t apply to connected officials.

David Cook, a concerned citizen filed a formal complaint with the State Board of Elections based on our reporting in February of 2016.  The State Board failed to do their job and provide a simple answer to the original complaint.  Instead, it appeared to be duck and cover, avoid the real complaint at all cost, and protect wrongdoing based on political affiliation.

What has transpired since the first exposure?

  • Frank Mautino invoked the Fifth Ammendent.
  • Governor Rauner has been silent, even though Mautino invoked his Fifth Amendment rights. To most people, a message of silence is a message of support.  That’s troubling.
  • Mautino violated FOIA, and admitted as much in the answer to our FOIA lawsuit – Governor still silent.
  • State Board refused reconsideration of their failed ruling.  Governor appoints those members.
  • State Board of Elections failed to request a criminal investigation. It would be Lisa Madigan that would have to investigate her daddy’s hand-picked Auditor General. 
  • A criminal complaint filed by me, with the County Sheriff in both Sangamon and Bureau County.  Bureau county refused to investigate and not a word from Sangamon County Sheriff.
  • Criminal Complaint filed with the State Police.  One phone call confirmed they received it and they are going to talk with the US Attorney to make sure no toes are stepped on.  Not a peep since that call months ago.
  • Criminal Complaint filed with the US Attorney.  Zero communication from them.

So what is left for citizens in this state to ever see justice when public officials act well outside the scope of the law?  In the case of Mautino, we have our first hearing on his FOIA violation next month, however, that will not remove him from office, which is what should happen.  Criminal complaints appear to go nowhere so we don’t anticipate him ever being held accountable in that venue.  Speaker Madigan has no problem ignoring house resolutions calling for his removal, and the Governor, still silent.

The only option left to get some sense of justice is being taken by David Cook, in the form of an appeal to the Appellate Court seeking justice. What is the justice?  It’s pretty simple.  A ruling on his original complaint to the State Board of Elections.

Just as we said when the SBE made their original complaint, we find the same information in the brief filed this month with the Appellate Court.

On May 18, 2017, the Board entered a “final order” finding that the Committee had willfully failed to comply with the Board’s May 2016 order, but it did not address the claims Cooke alleged in his complaint.

They are asking the court two simple questions, which when you know the history of this case and the law, should have never needed to be asked had the SBE done their job.

  1. Did the Illinois Election Code and the Illinois Administrative Code require the Board to address the merits of Cooke’s claims alleging that the Committee’s reported expenditures to Happy’s and the Bank violated the Illinois Election Code?
  2. Does the evidence Cooke provided to the Board show that the Committee violated the Illinois Election Code by making, and not properly reporting, illegal expenditures to Happy’s and the Bank?

We pray the courts will finally provide justice to the people of this state and find that the answer to both questions before them is a YES!

Cook appeal - Mautino 2017.10.12 Petitioner's Brief

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5 Comments
  • Sherry Brianza
    Posted at 11:00h, 28 October

    Governor Rauner could you please step up and fight for us, get involved. This is corruption in Illinois and that is why I worked for your to get elected. Please reappoint new people to the Election Board and other agencies that can help us help you clean up Illinois! Thanks.

  • NiteCat
    Posted at 11:06h, 28 October

    As long as you have an election commission that doesn’t enforce rules, a defendant who files a bogus answer to a question that wasn’t even asked and never answers the actual question and a court who accepts that and enters a determination of satisfaction and closes the case…nope, we’ll never see any satisfaction. It’s the three monkeys at work here…hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil.

  • Dave
    Posted at 11:08h, 28 October

    “Speaker Madigan has no problem ignoring house resolutions calling for his removal, and the Governor, still silent.” That on its face is unlawful as we are guaranteed a “REPRESENTATIVE” state govt.

    From the preamble of the Illinois constitution:

    ” We, the People of the State of Illinois – grateful to
    Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberty
    which He has permitted us to enjoy and seeking His blessing
    upon our endeavors – in order to provide for the health,
    safety and welfare of the people; maintain a REPRESENTATIVE
    and orderly government; eliminate poverty and inequality;
    assure legal, social and economic justice; provide
    opportunity for the fullest development of the individual;
    insure domestic tranquility; provide for the common defense;
    and secure the blessings of freedom and liberty to ourselves
    and our posterity – do ordain and establish this Constitution
    for the State of Illinois.”
    (Source: Illinois Constitution.)

    When one man can control the Illinois state legislature, that is not a representative govt, THAT IS A DICTATORSHIP. The house rule that allowed dictator Madigan to be a one man show and take our representative govt is ILLEGAL. The power is inherent in the people and the organized crime in Springfield illegally took it from us.

  • Dave
    Posted at 11:12h, 28 October

    “It would be Lisa Madigan that would have to investigate her daddy’s hand-picked Auditor General.”

    Lisa Madigan is a partisan politician, she will not move on this, she will protect her daddy and the democrat party.

  • J.E.
    Posted at 00:05h, 01 November

    I’m afraid the time won’t come until the people stand up and say “we’re not going to take it anymore” or it falls apart. Neither is pretty for us. Continuing to support this nonsense with our tax dollars is ridiculous which is why I advocate for everyone to not pay their IL taxes. Everybody complains constantly about the politicians needing to fix it, but where has that gotten us? It’s we the people who need to fix it. We control the purse and we need to let them know we mean business.

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