Bianchi secretary stole files as part of scheme, indictment claims

The former personal secretary to McHenry County State's Attorney Louis Bianchi unlawfully removed computer files from the office to obtain personal advantage to herself or another, according to a seven-count indictment obtained Friday.

Amy Dalby, 24, is facing two counts of official misconduct, two counts of computer tampering, two counts of computer fraud and a theft charge, under the indictment issued under court seal last week as part of an ongoing a special prosecutor investigation.

Six of the seven charges are felonies, the most serious punishable by two to five years in prison or probation.

Dalby, a college student from Malta, Ill., turned herself into authorities at the Crystal Lake Police Department Friday afternoon and was released on a recognizance bond. According to her attorney, Wesley Pribla, Dalby wept in the police station while awaiting processing.

"She said, 'All I wanted to be was a teacher, and now I can't'," he said.

"She's going to plead not guilty and ask for a jury trial," Pribla added. "I will not allow my client to become a pawn in these people's games."

"These people" appear to be Bianchi and political rival Daniel Regna, who last week filed court documents claiming Dalby was instructed to perform campaign-related work while employed by the state's attorney's office and on county time.

Bianchi, a Crystal Lake Republican in his second term, defeated Regna last year in a bitter GOP primary. He has denied the accusations.

Bianchi has not commented on Dalby's indictment, and a written statement promised by his office had not materialized late Friday.

The indictment stems from actions the grand jury alleges Dalby took between June and July 2006, in what would have been her final weeks as Bianchi's secretary. She left the office in July 2006 to attend classes full-time at Northern Illinois University.

The official misconduct counts claim Dalby removed computer files or data from the office without the authority of the state's attorney's office. One count claims she took the files "to obtain personal advantage for herself or another."

The computer fraud counts allege Dalby accessed a computer or data "for the purpose of executing a scheme or as part of a deception."

The indictment does not give any indication as to what authorities say is the purpose behind the alleged scheme or how Dalby, or anyone else, hoped to gain advantage through the computer files.

David O'Connor, the special prosecutor who sought the indictment, has not returned calls for comment.

In his petition asking a judge to appoint another special prosecutor to investigate Bianchi, Regna claims Dalby downloaded evidence from her computer in the state's attorney's office to prove she did political work on county time.

On Friday, he called Dalby's indictment "a cowardly abuse of power."

"Amy Dalby tried to blow the whistle on (Bianchi's) wrongdoing, now she is charged with a crime," he said. "She is a courageous young woman who tried to stand up against corruption."

A hearing on Regna's request for a special prosecutor is scheduled for March 24.

Dalby is scheduled to appear in court March 18.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Related documents</h2> <ul class="morePdf"> <li><a href="/pdf/dalby07.pdf">Full text of Amy Dalby indictment</a></li> </ul> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=277057">McHenry County state's attorney's ex-secretary indicted <span class="date">[03/05/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=276328">Special prosecutor on hold after Bianchi rival seeks new judge <span class="date">[03/03/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=275804">McHenry Co. State's Attorney wants say in rival's request <span class="date">[02/28/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=274231">Ex-rival: McHenry Co. state's attorney used staff for political work <span class="date">[02/23/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>