Former Round Lake Beach building inspector charged in bid scheme

The former director of inspection services for Round Lake Beach was ordered held on $40,000 bond Thursday after being charged with steering village contracts to a firm owned by his brother.

Phillip Senn authorized more than $30,000 in payments to his brother's home remodeling firm for work that was never done or done so poorly it had to be redone, prosecutors said.

Senn, 46, of Wonder Lake, is charged with official misconduct, making false entries and unlawful bid stringing.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Christen Bishop said Senn, who worked for the village from May 2004 until being fired July 12, oversaw the village's Housing Acquisition and Rehabilitation Program, or HARP.

Launched by the village in 2002, the program is designed to revitalize neighborhoods and homes. Vacant and dilapidated homes are bought, repaired and resold. The village uses a line of credit to buy the homes and fund renovation. When a home is resold, proceeds are used to repay the line of credit.

Between Oct. 17 and Dec. 30, 2006, Bishop said, Senn authorized payment of $29,975 for rehab work on a house at 912 Southmoor Lane to J.T.'s Remodeling of Elmwood Park.

The work was not subject to competitive bidding or the approval of the village board, Bishop said.

J.T.'s Remodeling is owned by Senn's brother, Thomas Senn, and the work paid for was not done to accepted standards or not done at all, Bishop said.

Senn also sent a report to the village board that he had inspected the work on the house, and determined it was complete and up to standards.

Between Oct. 17, 2006 and May 21, 2007, Bishop said, Senn authorized another $1,003 in payments to J.T.'s Remodeling for work on a house at 1301 Witchwood Court that was never done.

She said a real estate agent preparing to put the house on the market complained to the village.

Village officials examined all payments to J.T.'s Remodeling and fired Senn on July 12 when the scheme was uncovered, Bishop said.

Calls left at the number listed for J.T.'s Remodeling were not returned.

Village Administrator David Kilbane said the village will seek restitution of money paid to J.T.'s Remodeling, but it was too early in the case to say exactly how it would proceed toward that goal.

Necessary repairs have been made to both houses, officials said.

Bishop said Senn, due in court April 24, faces up to five years in prison if convicted of official misconduct and making false entries, and up to three years for unlawful stringing of bids.