The Chicago Sun-Times covered a lawsuit Wednesday brought by a Chicago Aldermanic opponent about whether candidate Political Action Committees can use donations to pay legal fees:

Justices heard arguments hinging on whether the high-priced criminal defenses that so many Illinois officials have had to pony up for amount to “personal” expenses prohibited by campaign financing law. 

Background to the suit is provided:

“The legal saga started in 2019 when Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez filed a complaint alleging that Danny Solis, the former 25th Ward alderperson he replaced, improperly used $220,000 from his campaign fund to cover legal fees as he found himself under the federal microscope in a sprawling public corruption probe.”

Solis’ attorney pointed out the practice is not banned by state law, as are expenditures for clothing, club membership dues, tuition, etc.

He argued it was up to the Illinois General Assemby, not the Supreme Court to make such prohibition.

Former State Rep. and McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks has spent campaign contributions on the criminal defense firm Ekl Williams & Provenzale LLC since the Illinois State Police started looking into alleged sunwanted sexual activity in Springfield, which created a meda storm starting in the end of January 2020.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported,

“The search warrant — obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times via a Freedom of Information Act request — says Illinois State Police justified the search because ‘probable cause exists for the crimes of

• criminal sexual abuse,
• criminal sexual assault,
• official misconduct,
• stalking and aggravated battery.‘

“Police requested personnel, human resources or other files ‘containing information related to allegations of wrongdoing or misconduct by former Illinois State Representative Jack D. Franks.’”

Springfield Leaks seems to have revealed some details of the accusation.

Checks to the Ekl law firm were revealed in the following campaign disclosure reports:

• 2020, Second Quarter: $66,915
• 2021, Second Quarter: $13,320
• 2021, Third Quarter: $300
• 2021: Fourth Quarter: $600

The summer of 2020, Franks’ Springfield sexual misconduct allegation problems went away, as exclusively reported on McHenry County Blog.

In addition, Franks spent $600 on internet and phone service and $483.32 on insurance, plus $3,225.99 on items costing less than $150.01.

Receipts totaled $194, probably interest from his bank.

Franks’ Political Action Committee reported an end-of-year balance of $23,155.15.

Supreme Court Justices Anne Burke and Mary Jane Theis decided not to participate in the decision.

With Burke’s husband Ed’s spending millions from his campaign money to pay for legal expenses her reason for recusal is the obviouis conflilct of interest. There is no obvious reason for the her recusal.

Both Burke and Theis are from Cook County.