U.S. Attorney’s Office

Northern District of Illinois

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Former Chief of Staff to Illinois Speaker of the House Indicted for Allegedly Lying Under Oath to Federal Grand Jury

CHICAGO — The former Chief of Staff to the Illinois Speaker of the House of Representatives was indicted today for allegedly providing false material declarations under oath to a federal grand jury and attempting to obstruct its investigation into allegations of public corruption.

TIMOTHY MAPES, 66, of Springfield, Ill., is charged with one count of making false declarations before a grand jury and one count of attempted obstruction of justice, according to an indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Arraignment has not yet been scheduled.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Tamera Cantu, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julia Schwartz, Amarjeet S. Bhachu, Diane MacArthur, Timothy J. Chapman, Sarah E. Streicker, Matthew L. Kutcher, and Michelle Kramer. The officials noted that the federal investigation into the allegations of public corruption remains ongoing.

According to the indictment, the federal grand jury was investigating possible violations of federal criminal law, including efforts by the Illinois Speaker of the House and an individual acting on the Speaker’s behalf, to obtain for others private jobs, contracts, and monetary payments, including from Commonwealth Edison (“ComEd”), the largest electric utility in Illinois, to influence and reward the Speaker in the Speaker’s official capacity. On March 24, 2021, Mapes was granted immunity to testify before the grand jury. The immunity order provided that no testimony or evidence provided by Mapes could be used against him in a criminal case, except for perjury, giving a false statement, or otherwise failing to comply with the immunity order.

On March 31, 2021, Mapes testified before the grand jury and knowingly made false material declarations in response to several questions about a consultant’s relationship with the Speaker from 2017 to 2019, the indictment states. Mapes in his testimony denied knowing that the consultant acted as an agent or performed work for the Speaker during those years, when, in fact, Mapes knew that the consultant carried out work and assignments on behalf of the Speaker and communicated messages on the Speaker’s behalf, the indictment states.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The obstruction charge is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison, while the false declaration charge carries a maximum sentence of five years.

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https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/former-chief-staff-illinois-speaker-house-indicted-allegedly-lying-under-oath-federal-0

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/six-former-railroad-employees-charged-fraudulently-obtaining-federal-disability

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Northern District of Illinois

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Six Former Railroad Employees Charged With Fraudulently Obtaining Federal Disability Benefits

CHICAGO – Six former railroad employees have been indicted on criminal charges for allegedly fraudulently obtaining federal disability benefits.

The indictments accuse the defendants of working other jobs while providing false information to the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board’s Disability Benefits Division. The defendants were charged as part of an ongoing, nationwide investigation into alleged fraud perpetrated against benefits programs administered by the RRB to rail workers and their families. The investigation is being jointly conducted by the RRB Office of Inspector General, FBI, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

Charged in indictments returned in the Northern District of Illinois are SCOTT CARLBERG, 50, of Menomonie, Wisc., a former engineer at Soo Line Railroad; RONALD LEE CRIBBS, 49, of Hastings, Fla., a former employee of Chessie Seaboard Consolidated; ROBIE VONDERHAAR, 58, of Guttenberg, Iowa, a former foreman for Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corp.; RICHARD W. BROWNER, JR., 65, of Toms River, N.J., a former assistant line engineer at the New Jersey Transit Corp.; JAMES BONNER, 52, of Shalimar, Fla., a former engineer for Burlington North Santa Fe; and KING BRADLEY, JR., 48, of Medina, Tenn., a former conductor for Illinois Central Railroad.

The indictments were ordered unsealed this week. The defendants will be arraigned in federal court in Chicago on a date to be set by the Court.

The charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Martin J. Dickman, Inspector General of the RRB; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Lamont Pugh, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the HHS-OIG. Valuable assistance was provided by Brian Jeanfreau, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Coast Guard Investigative Service Gulf Region. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Rothblatt and Terry Kinney.

According to the indictments, Carlberg operated and managed a tanning salon in Wisconsin for six years while simultaneously receiving occupational disability benefits; Cribbs worked in the construction and landscaping trades for various companies in Florida for six years while simultaneously receiving occupational disability benefits; Vonderhaar managed a construction company in Iowa for three years while simultaneously receiving occupational disability benefits; Browner co-owned and managed a donut shop in New Jersey for six years while simultaneously receiving occupational disability benefits; Bonner captained a chartered fishing boat in Florida for three years while simultaneously receiving occupational disability benefits; and Bradley worked for a construction company for six years while simultaneously receiving total and permanent disability benefits.

The charges seek cash forfeiture from the defendants in the following amounts: Carlberg $273,974; Cribbs $145,000; Vonderhaar $110,732; Browner $226,443; Bonner $10,180; and Bradley $211,650.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Carlberg, Cribbs, Vonderhaar, and Browner face multiple counts of wire fraud, each of which is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. Bonner and Bradley are charged with making materially false statements to the FBI and RRB, which is punishable by up to five years. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

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“Disability payments from the Railroad Retirement Board are a critical benefit for those who truly need them,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch. “Individuals who seek to fraudulently obtain these benefits jeopardize the viability of the program and must be held accountable.”

“The fraud alleged in these indictments is appalling,” said RRB IG Dickman. “My office will continue to pursue individuals who attempt to defraud the USRRB and the actors who may help perpetuate the fraud, whether they be medical professionals, contractors, private employers, or government employees. I would also like to acknowledge the hardworking prosecutors and agents assigned to this ongoing, national investigation.”

“Disability benefits are a critical lifeline for injured workers,” said FBI SAC Buie. “Defrauding the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board means stealing resources from hardworking citizens, and we will continue to work with our partners to prevent future abuses.”

“Making false statements and concealing material facts in order to obtain benefits from federally funded programs is wrong and illegal,” said HHS-OIG SAC Pugh. “Those who receive disability benefits may be deemed eligible for other federal benefits such as Medicare before attaining age 65. Therefore, falsifying information to receive benefits that individuals are not entitled to wastes valuable taxpayer dollars across multiple federally funded programs. HHS-OIG will continue to work with our federal partners to identify instances where benefit programs are being defrauded and protect vital taxpayer dollars.”