Shelby County – Is Anyone Surprised?

Shelby Co. (ECWd) –

This is yet another one of the cases where you simply have to say, you can’t make this stuff up.

WAND News ran this story two days ago.  The named DCFS employee in the story, Deborah Riley, jumped out at us.

Is it the same Deborah Riley that we busted out in Windsor, Illinois, back in February of 2022 in this article?  That article is worth reading because after reading the investigative report below from the Office of Executive Inspector General for the Agencies of the Illinois Governor, not only does it appear to be the same person, but the pattern of behavior has not changed since we wrote that article.  She ignored the law when it benefited her in Windsor, and it appears the almighty pocketbook comes before following documented rules for employment with the state.   It is noteworthy that the current county board member, Tricia Miller, was a board member for Windsor at the time and ignored the facts in that matter.

Riley moved on from Windsor and according to the OEIG report, accepted a position as a, drum roll please…Administrative Law Judge that would become effective in February or March 2024.  According to the bio information on her current employer’s website, she did hold the position of Administrative Law Judge until August of 2024.  That begs the question, who on earth is vetting judges who are supposed to administer justice?

According to the OEIG report, foot note 3, Deborah Riley is reported as being employed with the law firm of Dove and Dove in Shelby County. This is the same Deborah Riley that used to be a Shelby County State’s Attorney.

How ironic that the OEIG report points to timekeeping reports as the foundational evidence of working in two places at the same time.   Ironic in light of all the timekeeping malfeasance that was basically ignored in Shelby County over the years.  That old saying of you can’t have two masters does not appear to be accurate in Illinois.  As if the timekeeping malfeasance is not concerning enough, how special is it that the union filed a grievance against DCFS for her termination?

“22-03077, Deborah Riley was discharged for cause effective August 6, 2024. The Union filed a grievance. CMS proposed resolving by offering a “Clean Resignation”. The deadline to do so was set at December 6, 2024. Deborah Riley failed to resign by December 6, 2024, therefore, her discharge stands.”

The letter from the DCFS Ethics Officer and Legislative Counsel found in the OEIG report has numerous redactions but does indicate discipline proceedings are pending, which we now know she was terminated.  We can only wonder if the other three lines of redacted information point to criminal prosecution.

Is it a crime to be getting a paycheck from the state for working specific hours while in reality other records indicate you were getting a paycheck for private employment during the same time frame? Maybe there is a law firm in Shelby County who could answer that question for the good citizens of the County.

You can’t make this stuff up.