Ex-secretary accused of campaign misconduct: I won't be a scapegoat
McHenry County State's Attorney Louis Bianchi said there was nothing new in a court filing Thursday in which his former secretary wants a special prosecutor to investigate her allegations that Bianchi had her campaign for him on county time.
Bianchi has not been charged with wrongdoing, but Amy Dalby faces several felony charges.
She is accused of stealing computer files from Bianchi's office and giving them to his enemies; she maintains she copied the files to prove she was told to violate the law.
Wesley Pribla, an attorney representing Dalby, filed the motion Thursday in McHenry County Court asking for the investigation.
A tentative hearing date has been set for Aug. 27, but Pribla wants to move that date up.
"I allege that my client was required, while she was on county time, to complete political tasks on behalf of Mr. Bianchi," Pribla said. "The law applies to Louis Bianchi as it applies to everybody else. We, in filings, allege he broke the rules. Amy Dalby is not going to be a scapegoat in this matter. Mr. Bianchi is accountable for his misdeeds just like everybody else is. Who is going to investigate him?"
According to the motion, Dalby was instructed to prepare correspondence to political supporters, maintain the books for Bianchi's campaign and gather signatures for nominating petitions from December 2004 through August 2006.
Bianchi brushed off the motion as another attempt by his foes to keep the focus on him instead of Dalby, his former personal secretary.
"There is no new information in today's filing," Bianchi responded in an e-mail. "It is yet another attempt by my political opponents to repackage allegations and distract from the felony charges pending against Amy Dalby. It is clear from the special prosecutor's filing and other facts that the indictment stemmed from a failed political plot hatched by my opponents. As I have said before, we respect the investigation and prosecution efforts being led by the court's special prosecutor and will refrain from specific comments on this pending legal matter."
Authorities charge that Dalby took the files in the summer of 2006 and later handed them to Bianchi's political opponents.
Bianchi was re-elected last fall.
Dalby, now a student at Northern Illinois University, has pleaded not guilty to an indictment that includes multiple counts of official misconduct, computer fraud and computer tampering.
Pribla disputed Bianchi's e-mail statement.
"There is no political plot. Amy Dalby is not part of any political faction. Amy Dalby is a 24-year-old college student. There is no political plot, whatever that means," Pribla said. "We are not part of any camp."