Ex-Island Lake mayor denies ghost payrolling scam
Former Island Lake Mayor Thomas Hyde pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he assisted his wife in a ghost payrolling scam.
Hyde is charged with official misconduct and having a prohibited interest in contracts for voting as mayor and a village trustee to pay his wife at least $110,000 prosecutors say she did not earn.
Sharon Hyde is charged with theft of government property and official misconduct regarding her position as director of the Creative Playtime Preschool at village hall.
Prosecutors contend Sharon Hyde collected pay for hours she did not work between January 1999 and May 31 of this year.
Their attorney, Charles Smith of Waukegan, maintains that Sharon Hyde was a salaried employee of the village and that state law allows her husband to vote on matters related to her employment.
Circuit Judge Fred Foreman told Thomas Hyde he faces up to five years in prison if convicted but would also be eligible for probation.
He scheduled a trial in the case for Dec. 7 and ordered Hyde to appear in court again Sept. 29.
Sharon Hyde has pleaded not guilty to the charges against her and faces a mandatory prison sentence of between six and 30 years if convicted.
She is due to appear in court again Sept. 10.