Ex-DuPage County Forest Preserve IT director facing corruption charges dies
The former IT director for the DuPage County Forest Preserve District, Mark McDonald, has died, officially putting an end to the 2013 corruption case against him and two other men.
According to court documents filed Friday, McDonald, 56, of Wheaton, died May 25 at Northwestern Community Hospital in Chicago.
Ernie DiBenedetto, who represented McDonald until he was replaced in March, said Tuesday that McDonald suffered from an autoimmune disorder known as scleroderma.
Paul Darrah, spokesman for DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin, said prosecutors formally dropped the charges against McDonald at Friday's hearing.
McDonald, one of his employees and an outside contractor all were charged with hundreds of counts of misconduct and of receiving kickbacks related to the district's contracts for digital and telecom services.
McDonald and former district IT manager David Tepper were accused of using a company they co-owned, Integrated Design Solutions, to bill the district for equipment and services that never were delivered.
A third man, an independent contractor, was acquitted of participating in the second scheme with Tepper and McDonald. Prosecutors claimed that Alamach Technology Inc. - a now-defunct company - overbilled the district for contracted work and subcontracted for Integrated Design Solutions.
Tepper, however, was found guilty of illegally participating in a government contract and official misconduct. He served 90 days in DuPage County jail and was released in March. Tepper is appealing his conviction.
McDonald was expected to plead guilty to similar charges in March before dismissing DiBenedetto and causing his case to be delayed.