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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">FOR RELEASE</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">:
<br>
January 15, 2025 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">PRESS CONTACT</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">:
<br>
Deanna Shoss, Communications, 773.478.8417 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a name="_Hlk164083410"></a><a name="_Hlk171693252"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk164083410"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">OIG Releases
Fourth Quarter 2024 Report, Documenting Fraud, Improper Influence, Self-Dealing, and “Professional Courtesy”<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></a></p>
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk171693252"></span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk164083410"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has published its Quarterly Report for the fourth quarter
of 2024, which summarizes concluded investigations, inquiries, intakes, and other operations of OIG, from October 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024. This report has been filed with City Council, as required by § 2-56-120 of the Municipal Code of Chicago (MCC).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk164083410"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">OIG processed 1,745 new intakes in the fourth quarter, for 10,862 intakes for the year. This represents an
increase of more than 30% over 2023.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk164083410"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">“We use the information we receive in intakes to prioritize and shape projects, to inform and focus transparency
initiatives, and to identify misconduct by bad actors in City government,” said Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for the City of Chicago. “This quarter, we report ten administrative investigations in which we identified misconduct by those under our jurisdiction.
In seven of those ten investigations, we recommended that subjects be either terminated from their City jobs or designated as ineligible for rehire by the City. It is a great privilege to work in public service, and our work this quarter reflects the belief
that those who abuse the public trust ought not continue to enjoy that privilege.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk164083410"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">The sustained administrative investigations reported this quarter include ones in which OIG found that:
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk164083410"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">Multiple members of the Chicago Fire Department (CFD) falsified reports, made misrepresentations to the Chicago Police Department (CPD), and took
other steps to provide “professional courtesy” to a CFD supervisor who was found slumped over the wheel of their vehicle;<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk164083410"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">A Department of Finance employee misused their access to City systems to award themselves more than $6,500 worth of unearned compensatory time;<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk164083410"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">A police communications operator with the Office of Emergency Management and Communication violated the City’s residency rule, fraudulently obtained
loan funds from the federal Payroll Protection Program (PPP), and lied to OIG;<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk164083410"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">A Public Building Commission (PBC) commissioner improperly used their position in an attempt to influence PBC employees to engage a company in
which the commissioner had a financial interest, and then failed to cooperate with OIG;
<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk164083410"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">Before joining CPD, a former CPD member fraudulently received PPP funds and lied to receive a housing voucher; and
<o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk164083410"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">A Department of Streets and Sanitation ward superintendent attempted to sell an illegal machine gun to an undercover law enforcement agent while
on City time and using their City vehicle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk164083410"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><br>
“There is no place in the government Chicagoans deserve for such conduct. We will continue to aggressively pursue those who contribute to the deficit of legitimacy at which the City operates, and we will fiercely guard OIG’s independence so that we can continue
to do so effectively,” Witzburg said.</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">Read the Report<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif;color:black"><a href="https://igchicago.org/publications/quarterly-report-q4-2024/">Read the full report, released on January
15, 2025.</a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">Deanna Shoss</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">(She/Her)</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">Director of Communications and Outreach</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">Office of Inspector General</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">231 S. LaSalle Street, 12th Floor<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">Chicago, IL 60604<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><a href="mailto:dshoss@igchicago.org"><span style="color:#0563C1">dshoss@igchicago.org</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">(773) 478-8417</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">You know your city. Talk to us about making Chicago government better.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">(833) TALK-2-IG |
<a href="mailto:talk2ig@igchicago.org"><span style="color:blue">talk2ig@igchicago.org</span></a> |
<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.igchicago.org/__;!!B24N9PvjPQId!Z_DAkp5uIQ4eGvUpxbN8y5bUuGNlV1b3QitWrOOQyjEHq2l7tR02zPFHS7bNjaNVKW7DTIdKU-n24pDdDQthXfZHp3E$">
<span style="color:blue">igchicago.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">The information contained in this communication may be confidential or subject to a legal privilege. Unauthorized use,
disclosure, or copying of this communication or any part thereof may violate a federal, state, or local law or may be prohibited by a City of Chicago rule or policy. If you have received this communication in error, please do not read it and notify me immediately
by return e-mail. I may ask you to destroy this communication and all copies thereof, including all attachments. Thank you.</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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