McHenry County Blog

McHenry County Blog continues looking at what Special Prosecutor Henry Tonigan’s investigating firm Quest International billed for in its criminal investigation of McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi and his staff.

Yesterday, we looked at September, October and November, 2010, bills. Today we cover December’s and those of January, 2011.

Robert Scigalski, Lee Flose, Patrick Hanretty, Gerald Theis, James P. Reilly and Dan Jerger bill the Special Prosecutors $135 per hour, except for some travel, which Scigalski notes he bills at $70 an hour. The others do not bill $70 for travel time.

Photo of Robert Scigalski by First Electric Newspaper

12-1-10 9 hours – Scigalski: Call to Zinke re Reid and Wonder Lake Officer K. O’Connor. To CL interview Chief, Dep. Chief Lowery & Det. Majzner at Crystal Lk PD & meet with ASA DT [Demetri Tsilimigras] & PREP reports / Report to McQueen

12-1-10 1 hour – Scigalski: Travel to and from Crystal Lake, IL 44 miles ($70 x2)

12-1-10 3 hours – Hanretty: Serve subpoena to Detective Kurt, Crystal Lake P.D. and prepare affidavits.

12-2-10 3 hours – Hanretty: Obtain subpoenaed materials from American Banks & Trust & deliver to Judge Tonigan’s office. Prepare affidavits.

12-3-11 3 hours – Scigalski: To Woodstock at GJ [Grand Jury] with witnesses Review Documents for leads

12-3-10 1.5 hours – Scigalski: Travel to and from Woodstock, IL 80 M )$70 x2)

12-3-10 0.5 hours – Jerger: Prepared and teleconferenced with Tom Sullivan, updated and emailed Tom McQueen.

12-6-11 4 hours – Jerger: Prepared, traveled to and returned from 2200 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, IL 60098. Department data collection. Collected Qo90838-T15. Teleconferenced with Tom McQueen to update.

12-7-10 2 hours – Scigalski: Review DT’s additional Docs he provided and send PDF inventory. Work on photos for discovery.

12-9-10 4 hours – Scigalski: Meeting with McQueen re materials for Morzoz & Reid leads. Review Salvi remaining leads

12-10-10 1 hour – Scigalski: Work on discovery request / review email request of McQueen

12-20-10 5 hours – Scigalski: Prepare for and meeting at Tonigan’s office to discuss evidence & determine interview assignments/ review prior interviews for details and organize schedule and strategies.

12-17-10 1.75 hours – Scigalski: Review prison tapes of Reid and Morzos and discuss transcription strategy

12-17-10 2 hours – Jerger: Prepared evidence for searching indexing. Begin searches.

12-20-0 2.5 hours – Jerger: Continued indexing and searching of T-15 emails. Prepared and teleconferenced with Judge Tonigan Tom McQueen and Bob Scigalski regarding findings. Emailed search results.

12-27-10 1 hour – Hanretty: Meet Seigalski to obtain case materials.

12-28-10 2.5 hours – Scigalski: Meeting at Skip Tonigan’s Office

12-28-10 1 hour – Hanretty: Research contact information for Sue Serdar and interview.

Prisoner phone calls in the McHenry County Jail are apparently recorded.

12-29-10 3 hours – Scigalski: Prepare for and attend meeting at Judge Tonigan’s office with attorney McQueen to discuss strategy. Return and review leads for assignments.

12-29-11 2.25 hours – Reilly: Review of McHenry County Jail recorded phone calls for info of value.

12-30-10 3.5 hours – Scigalski: Prepare for an attend meeting at Judge Tonigan’s office with attorney McQueen to discuss strategy. Return and review leads for assignments.

12-30-10 4 hours – Reilly:Tel cal to ICSolutions for tech support. Tell cal to D. Jerger; Review McHenry County Jail recorded phone calls for info of value.

12-31-10 3.5 hours – Scigalski: Conference call w/ Lowery/then w McQueen/with ASA Carroll/Review contact made w treas./rev contribution docs

12-31-10 1 hour – Hanretty: Research contact information begin attempts to contact to arrange interview

12-31-10 4.5 hours – Reilly: Review McHenry County Jail recorded phone calls for info of value.

January, 2011, bills tomorrow.

Map of Algonquin Township showing precincts. Algonquin Township has more people than any of the sixteen other townships in McHenry County.

The fourth generation of a Cary political family has stepped to the fore to lead the Algonquin Township Republican Central Committee.

Rebecca Lee, daughter of Algonquin Township Road Commissioner Bob Miller and County Board member Anna May Miller, was elected to head the organization. Her grandfather and great-grandfather also serve as township highway commissioner.

Vice Chairman will continue to be Tom McDermott of Crystal Lake.

Mark Gerhardt from Downtown Algonquin will serve as secretary.

Rounding out the leadership team is McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Demetrios Tsilimigras.

Lee, Gerhardt and Tsilimigras are all attorneys. All have worked at one time or another as assistant state’s attorneys in McHenry County. Gerhardt has also served in Cook County’s office. Tsilimigras worked for the Kane County State’s Attorney before coming to work for Lou Bianchi.

Both Gerhardt and Tsilimigras were elected precinct committeeman for the first time February 2nd.

McHenry County Republican Party Chairman Mike Tryon, a precinct committeeman in Algonquin Township, but in Springfield for mid-week, asked for an indication committeemen support for 16th Congressional District State Central Committeeman candidates. Tryon said he would support whomever the majority supported at the annual convention, according to Karla Dobbeck, the woman who was head of the township central committee until stepping down last night.

Incumbent State Senator Dave Syverson is facing off against challenger Joe Wiegand.

With 27 committeemen present, only seven indicated a preference.

The vote was six for Wiegand and one for Syverson.

Cal Skinner spoke in favor of Wiegand. Dobbeck said she was Syverson’s chairwoman and represented him in McHenry County, while the state senator covered the Rockford area and points west.

Skinner said he had not seen Syverson in McHenry County since he had rejoined the central committee two years ago. He pointed out that Wiegand was familiar with the political arena having run unsuccessfully for state representative twice, having served on the DeKalb County Board and, while there, having spearheaded the referendum to impose the Property Tax Cap over the strong objections of local governments and school districts.

The McHenry County State’s Attorney is obviously out to convey the message that if you drive while you are drunk and get arrested, you will be prosecuted and convicted.

This is the latest press release:

McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office Wins Another Difficult DUI Case

McHenry County State’s Attorney, Louis A. Bianchi, is pleased to announce a recent victory of another DUI offender.

Assistant State’s Attorney’s Robert Malen and Demetrios Tsilimigras won a DUI jury trial in the matter of People v. Craig Miller. The jury deliberated for only one hour.

This was a challenging case because the defendant refused all field sobriety tests and refused a breathalyzer.

Sheriff’s Deputy Stan Myk stopped the defendant on Roberts Road near Maple Street in Island Lake for his erratic driving which caused the deputy to make an evasive move to avoid a head-on collision.

The defendant admitted that he was departing from a local bar. This was the defendant’s second DUI offense.

We are proud of our Assistant State’s Attorney’s.

This is the second successful DUI prosecution in 2 weeks where no breathalyzer result was admitted into evidence.

McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis A. Bianchi, along with the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council 22nd Judicial Circuit, announces that a Domestic Violence Mock Trial training will be held on Thursday, February 19, 2009 at the McHenry County Government Center at 1:30 pm in Courtroom 204.

The training, open to all police departments in McHenry County and the Illinois State Police, will be presented by Demetrios Tsilimigras, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and Patrick Kenneally, specially assigned Domestic Violence prosecutor.

In addition, on Friday, February 20th, Assistant State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally will provide law enforcement training on Evidenced Based Prosecution, will be held at the State’s Attorney’s Office in the Grand Jury Room at 8:15 am and again at 2:00 pm. It is open to all police department dispatchers in McHenry County and the Illinois State Police

McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis A. Bianchi, along with the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council 22nd Judicial Circuit, announces that a Domestic Violence Mock Trial training will be held on Thursday, February 19, 2009 at the McHenry County Government Center at 1:30 pm in Courtroom 204.

The training, open to all police departments in McHenry County and the Illinois State Police, will be presented by Demetrios Tsilimigras, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and Patrick Kenneally, specially assigned Domestic Violence prosecutor.

In addition, on Friday, February 20th, Assistant State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally will provide law enforcement training on Evidenced Based Prosecution, will be held at the State’s Attorney’s Office in the Grand Jury Room at 8:15 am and again at 2:00 pm. It is open to all police department dispatchers in McHenry County and the Illinois State Police