Man accused of cheating Elgin, Aurora casinos dies in Indiana
A man accused of bilking casinos in Elgin and Aurora out of more than $50,000 using forged credit cards has died while awaiting trial.
Xin Chen, 55, of Flushing, N.Y., died from lung cancer March 11 before he could be extradited to Kane County, according to the Illinois attorney general's office, which is prosecuting the case.
Chen and Xueliang Li, 59, also of Flushing, both served prison time in Indiana recently or a similar scheme. Both were charged in Kane County earlier this year.
Prosecutors formally dismissed the charges against Chen at a recent court appearance, records show.
Li is due in court June 19 and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. He's being held at the Kane County jail on $500,000 bail.
Longtime prosecutor retires: Pam Monaco, the only Kane County assistant state's attorney to twice win the office's Prosecutor of the Year award, retired May 2.
Monaco, who joined the state's attorney's office in 1993 and recently worked in its sex crimes unit, took home the highest honor in 2008 and 2012.
Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon said that in addition to her work in the courtroom, Monaco was a great mentor for other prosecutors.
"Pam was an informal mentor for a lot of people and not necessarily new lawyers," he said. "Pam will be greatly missed, but we have a lot of great prosecutors here who are ready to step up."
Juror scam warning: McHenry County court officials are warning residents of a scam using missed jury service as an opportunity to bilk residents.
In the scam, the victim gets a phone call saying an arrest warrant had been issued for failure to appear for jury duty. The caller says $500 is needed to post the bond for the situation needs to be taken care of immediately to avoid an arrest.
The caller then tells the victim that the bond must be posted using an e-pay card. Any person receiving such a telephone call should report it to their local law enforcement agency for investigation.
All communication for missed jury service will come from the McHenry County Jury Commission Office, 2200 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, and will be in written form.
Stop and thank a cop: Monday marks the beginning of National Police Week, a week set aside to remember law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty and to honor officers who serve and protect.
A Law Enforcement exhibition in honor of National Police Week will be on display in the south window at the St. Charles City Hall, 2 E. Main St.
At 6:30 p.m., Thursday, the Chiefs of Police Association will hold its annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Ceremony at Mooseheart in Batavia.
hhitzeman@dailyherald.com