Divorce of Dundee Twp. park president may continue, judge rules
A Kane County judge Tuesday declined to halt divorce proceedings between Margaret and Frank Scarpelli, who is being sued by his cousin who argues Frank siphoned $2.8 million from trust accounts and investments of his late aunt over 20 years.
Scarpelli's cousin, Anne Marie Poincelet of Chicago, sued to stop the Scarpellis' divorce case, arguing they are trying to divvy up money Frank Scarpelli took from his late aunt by managing her estate and businesses.
Scarpelli is president of the Dundee Township Park District board and grandson of a prominent Carpentersville developer.
Poincelet sued Frank Scarpelli in Cook County in 2015 and Poincelet's lawyer, Amy Doehring, argued to Judge Rene Cruz Tuesday the Kane divorce proceedings were targeting disputed money in the Cook lawsuit.
"They're not marital assets. They don't belong to (the Scarpellis). It's been under a cloud for three years now," said Doehring, adding she believes the divorce is a plot to transfer assets to Margaret so if Frank loses the lawsuit, he won't have assets to turn over to Poincelet.
Rory Weiler, divorce attorney for Margaret Scarpelli, argued Doehring's move to have Cruz halt the divorce case lacked legal elements for argument. Weiler called the move "speculation" and any suggestion of a "nefarious conspiracy" was improper.
"The entire motion to stay basically alleges no facts," Weiler argued. "The motion itself is fatally defective."
Cruz said it would "not be appropriate at the moment" to halt the divorce until the Cook County lawsuit was resolved, but could revisit the issue in the future.
Frank Scarpelli was not at Tuesday's hearing. He has not hired a lawyer for the divorce nor returned phone messages.
The divorce case is next up in Kane County March 2; parties are due in court Wednesday for the Cook County lawsuit.
Frank Scarpelli has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing.