Lake County probation officer accused of trading service hours for money, sex

A Lake County probation worker is accused of trading court-ordered public service hours for money or sex, authorities said Thursday.

Adult Probation Public Service Coordinator Anselmo Magana, 44, of Lindenhurst is charged with 10 felony counts of official misconduct, court records show.

Magana received money on eight occasions from people on probation in exchange for public service hours between August 2012 and October 2013, according to the indictment. It also alleges Magana twice exchanged sex acts for public service hours with a woman on probation in January 2014.

The clients of adult probation who had been unlawfully awarded these hours had not actually completed the hours assigned by the court, officials said.

An internal investigation into the allegations was launched in January 2014 by detectives with the Lake County sheriff's office Criminal Investigation Division, officials said.

A Lake County grand jury approved charges Wednesday, and each charge is a felony that could send Magana to prison for 3 to 7 years.

He was ordered held in Lake County jail on $250,000 bail on Thursday, a day after he was arrested at his place of employment.

“We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute public servants that betray the publics trust,” Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim said. “I want to thank Lake County Adult Probation for their full cooperation in this investigation.”

Court Administrator Robert Zastany was not available Thursday to comment on the charges.

This is the second time in four months an employee of Lake County court services has been charged with misconduct while on the job.

Matthew Goebel, 26, of Morton Grove, a former juvenile counselor at the Robert W. Depke Juvenile Justice Center near Vernon Hills, was charged with possession of child pornography, indecent solicitation of a child and grooming a female prisoner.

In the context of a charge, grooming is the act of purposefully becoming emotionally connected to a minor, with the aim of eventually exploiting that relationship for sexual or other means. Goebel was suspended with pay in October 2014 when the investigation began, and he was fired in November for “gross misconduct,” officials said.

The circuit court is in charge of Lake County court services, including the probation department and juvenile counselors.