A former south suburban police chief pleaded guilty today to coercing a witness in a federal fraud probe of the ex-cop’s state grant.
It is the latest in a string of guilty pleas for ex-Country Club Hills Chief Regina Evans, who has been in custody since March when authorities accused her of coaching a witness to lie to a grand jury about the spending of a $1.25 million job-training grant.
Evans, 50, has previously pleaded guilty to several fraud-related charges that stem from spending hundreds of thousands of the dollars from the state grant on family, friends and debt payments on a theater she owned. In court in Springfield today, Evans pleaded guilty to witness tampering, obstruction of justice and a conspiracy charge, her attorney said.
During their grant fraud investigation, prosecutors say Evans urged an unidentified witness to lie to authorities about being paid to teach “soft skills” courses that included resume writing, manners and personal grooming. But, prosecutors say the witness didn’t teach anything and actually funneled the grant money back to Evans.
Authorities said they caught the coercion on tape.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment