County filing insurance claim to recover funds lost by fraud

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - A northern Illinois county purchasing director allegedly spent more than $60,000 on personal items, according to a draft of an insurance claim Winnebago County plans to file.

The Rockford Register Star reports (http://bit.ly/1PHPurV ) the claim alleges Sally Claassen, who resigned from the job in September, allegedly spent more than $60,000 on personal items. The document was obtained by the Register Star after a Freedom of Information Act request.

Claassen has not been charged with a crime. County Administrator Steve Chapman says the insurance claim is based on an internal investigation by the county auditor's office.

Claassen led the county's purchasing department from 1997 until she resigned in September amid an internal investigation. She is represented by attorney Chuck Prorok, who says Claassen is "fully cooperating with the FBI and their investigation."

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Information from: Rockford Register Star, http://www.rrstar.com