Ex-DuPage nursing home supervisor admits assault

After 12 years of legal wrangling, a former Willowbrook nursing home supervisor admitted Tuesday he raped one of four female workers who accused him of battering, fondling or assaulting them.

Marco A. Campos, 47, faces up to eight years in prison when sentenced Oct. 4. He pleaded guilty to felony criminal sexual assault on the eve of his trial before DuPage Circuit Judge Blanche Hill Fawell.

The North Aurora man, formerly of West Chicago, was arrested in June 1998 after four female housekeepers at Château Village Nursing Home went to police with allegations he repeatedly tried to force himself upon them.

The indigent women, at least one of whom was in the country illegally, said they did not go to police for several months because they were embarrassed and afraid of losing their jobs.

In one of the assaults, Campos is accused of saying, "Aren't you a woman? You're not a girl. You should enjoy this."

On Aug. 29 2002, a DuPage County judge declared a mistrial after a police officer mistakenly told the jury Campos refused to answer questions without an attorney, which is prejudicial. Afterward, the case was stalled further during appeals.

Prosecutors lacked physical evidence or witnesses, but three of the women were prepared to testify against Campos. The fourth accuser died while the criminal case was pending.

In Tuesday's plea, Campos admitted raping one of the women March 4, 1998. He had faced up to 15 years in prison but, in exchange for his plea, prosecutors Steven Knight and Anne Therieau agreed to the eight-year cap.