Sex offender evaluation ordered for ghost payroller
A former Lake County Health Department official who admitted his involvement in a ghost payrolling scam was ordered Friday to submit to a sex offender evaluation and to complete any recommended treatment.
Thomas Job, 67, admitted he violated his probation for his conviction for felony theft by possessing a handgun four days after pleading guilty to the charge.
Before joining the health department, Job was a Roman Catholic priest who was named in the 2005 settlement of a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Chicago by 24 adults who claimed they were molested by priests.
Job, who resigned from the priesthood in 1992, was never charged with any sexual offense.
Job pleaded guilty to collecting $39,875 in pay for hours he did not work as the rehabilitation coordinator of the department’s addiction treatment program on June 29.
On July 3, sheriff’s deputies were called to Job’s Spring Grove residence in response to a report Job was threatening to kill himself and found him with a loaded handgun.
Associate Judge George Bridges ordered Job to undergo a full psychological evaluation, which Assistant State’s Attorney Matthew Demartini said recommended Job seek treatment for depression and a sex offender evaluation.
On Friday, Demartini agreed to drop a charge of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon filed against Job as a result of the July 3 incident in exchange for Job’s agreement to follow the recommendation of the psychological report.
Richard Morelli, the former detoxification coordinator for the same health department program, has pleaded not guilty to stealing $46,619 in the payroll scam.
He is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 23 and faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.