Indicted Sen. Tom Cullerton Resigns, Likely to Plead Guilty
Former Sen. Tom Cullerton of Villa Park, who resigned Wednesday.
Just a couple of weeks before the scheduled start of a federal embezzlement trial, Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) has resigned.
Cullerton is charged in federal court for using a union job essentially as a ghost payroll job. The Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday Cullerton will change his plea to guilty.
Cullerton, 52, a Democrat from Villa Park, was charged in 2019 in an indictment alleging he pocketed almost $275,000 in salary and benefits from the Teamsters union despite doing little or no work.
The case against Cullerton, who had remained in office and is free on bond, was originally supposed to go to trial this week, but was postponed due in part to a COVID-19-related backlog of cases. Meanwhile, both sides continued to work behind the scenes on a potential deal.
In advance of a status hearing in the case on Wednesday, Cullerton sent a letter to Tim Anderson, secretary of the Senate, confirming his resignation from the body.
Less than an hour later, during a telephone status hearing before U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman, Cullerton’s lawyer, Dan Collins, announced that they’d reached a plea deal with prosecutors and “a trial date will not be necessary in this case.”
Gettleman set a change of plea hearing for March 8.
In all, Cullerton has been paid more than $200,000 out of the state coffers since he was indicted, according to the comptroller’s office. Cullerton chose not to participate in the retirement system for legislators and therefore will not receive a state pension.
Expect Democrats to name a placeholder for the seat, as Cullerton was drawn into a district with Sen. Suzy Glowiak-Hilton (D-Western Springs).