Illinois State’s Attorneys: Time to Match Federal Prosecutors’ Toughness on Corruption
Local Prosecutors Have Deferred Too Long While Communities Turn a Blind Eye to Public Misconduct
As Illinois continues to earn its shameful distinction as one of America’s most corrupt states, it’s time for local prosecutors across Northern Illinois to step up and match the aggressive approach federal authorities have taken against public corruption. With UIC researchers consistently ranking Chicago as the nation’s most corrupt metropolitan area and Illinois as the second or third most corrupt state, the burden of accountability can no longer rest solely with federal prosecutors.
The numbers are staggering: Chicago led the nation with 41 corruption convictions per year, or 1,824 total, from 1976 to 2021, while the Northern District of Illinois remains the most corrupt metropolitan area in the country. Government corruption costs Illinoisans $550 million in lost economic activity every year, with a $9.9 billion total loss from 2000 to 2017. Yet too often, local State’s Attorneys across the collar counties have deferred to federal prosecutors rather than taking aggressive action themselves.
What makes this crisis even worse is the culture of complicity that has developed in many municipalities and counties. Too many communities have learned to turn a blind eye to obvious misconduct, creating an environment where corruption flourishes with impunity. When red-light camera kickbacks were flowing to suburban officials, how many city councils asked hard questions? When police chiefs were stealing from evidence rooms or padding overtime, how many mayors demanded audits? When county clerks ignored bidding requirements or department heads hired their relatives, how many board members spoke up?
The answer, too often, is none. A culture has developed where “going along to get along” takes precedence over fiduciary responsibility. Municipal officials have learned that challenging corruption is politically risky, while ignoring it carries few consequences. This municipal silence creates a protective shield around corrupt officials that can be as effective as any political connection. When entire communities become complicit through willful blindness, even honest prosecutors face an uphill battle against a wall of manufactured ignorance and convenient amnesia.
The Federal Standard: What Real Accountability Looks Like
Federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois have set the gold standard for corruption prosecution. Last year, the U.S. attorney’s office secured convictions in more than 91% of all the cases it charged, with actual acquittals amounting to less than 1% of all cases. The 32 convictions obtained by Chicago federal prosecutors stood at an eight-year high in 2021.
Recent federal cases demonstrate the scope and seriousness of the corruption problem:
Former House Speaker Michael Madigan, charged in a 23-count indictment with racketeering conspiracy, bribery, wire fraud and attempted extortion, with prosecutors alleging he netted $2.85 million in illegitimate funds
Former Chicago Alderman Edward Burke, convicted on 13 counts of racketeering, bribery and attempted extortion and sentenced to two years in prison
Multiple Commonwealth Edison executives convicted of conspiring to bribe Madigan
Widespread red-light camera bribery schemes involving multiple suburban officials
Local Prosecutors: Missing in Action
While federal prosecutors have been relentless in pursuing corruption, many local State’s Attorneys across Northern Illinois have been notably absent from the fight. This represents a fundamental failure of local accountability that has allowed corruption to flourish at the municipal and county levels.
Take Lake County as an example. When State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart won re-election in November 2024, voters gave him a mandate to be tough on crime—including crimes by public officials. The 2021 prosecution of former Vernon Hills Deputy Police Chief Patrick Zimmerman for falsifying grant documents showed what local prosecutors can accomplish when they act decisively. But such cases remain the exception rather than the rule.
The contrast is telling: while federal prosecutors pursue billion-dollar corruption schemes involving state legislators and major corporations, local prosecutors too often limit themselves to low-hanging fruit while deferring the serious cases to federal authorities.
A Supreme Court Opening Creates Local Opportunity
Recent developments have created both opportunity and obligation for local prosecutors to step up their corruption enforcement. A U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier this year “gutted one of the tools” U.S. attorneys use to prosecute public corruption by narrowing federal corruption laws targeting elected officials. According to Cook County State’s Attorney-elect Eileen O’Neill Burke, the decision means “charges that can no longer be prosecuted federally may be brought by a county prosecutor”.
Burke has pledged to recruit former assistant U.S. attorneys to join her office’s public corruption unit, saying “I want the public corruption unit to be the best possible unit we can be and now we have an opportunity”. This is exactly the kind of thinking other State’s Attorneys across Northern Illinois should adopt.
The Regional Challenge: Corruption Knows No Boundaries
Corruption in Northern Illinois isn’t limited to Chicago. Recent cases demonstrate how the problem has spread throughout the region:
Wayne City’s former Police Chief Anson Fenton indicted on charges of selling confiscated items for personal benefit
Ford Heights Mayor Charles Griffin found guilty of stealing between $10,000 and $100,000 from village funds
DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek under investigation by the Illinois Attorney General’s office for alleged official misconduct involving improper contracting procedures
Multiple state employees filing $7.2 million in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program claims
Yet many of these cases required federal intervention or state-level prosecution. Where were the local State’s Attorneys?
County-by-County Accountability Gap
Each county’s State’s Attorney should be the front line against local corruption, but too many have failed to embrace this responsibility:
Cook County: Despite having the largest prosecutor’s office in the region, Cook County’s Special Prosecutions Bureau handles “complex criminal and public corruption cases” but has often deferred major cases to federal prosecutors. The incoming administration’s promise to enhance public corruption prosecution is encouraging but overdue.
Lake County: Rinehart has shown he can prosecute corruption when he chooses to, as demonstrated by the Vernon Hills case. But his approach needs to be more systematic and aggressive across all municipalities.
DuPage County: With growing Democratic control of county government, there’s an opportunity for enhanced accountability—but also political pressure that could complicate corruption prosecutions.
Kane, McHenry, and Will Counties: These growing collar counties need proactive corruption enforcement as their populations and municipal complexity increase.
What Needs to Change: A Regional Strategy
Northern Illinois State’s Attorneys should adopt several reforms to match federal prosecutors’ effectiveness:
Specialized Units: Every major county prosecutor’s office should have dedicated public corruption units staffed by experienced prosecutors, not just general assignment attorneys handling corruption cases as side duties.
Regional Cooperation: State’s Attorneys should coordinate on multi-jurisdictional corruption cases rather than allowing suspects to exploit county boundaries.
Proactive Investigation: Instead of waiting for complaints or federal referrals, county prosecutors should actively investigate patterns of misconduct, financial irregularities, and suspicious contracts.
Swift Action: When evidence of corruption surfaces, prosecute immediately rather than hoping federal authorities will handle it.
Public Transparency: Regular reporting on corruption prosecutions would demonstrate accountability and deter misconduct.
The Cost of Inaction
The current system effectively creates a two-tiered justice system: federal prosecutors handle the “important” cases while local prosecutors focus on street crime. This approach has several devastating consequences:
It allows mid-level corruption to flourish unchecked
It sends the message that local officials face different standards than state or federal officials
It wastes taxpayer money through unchecked municipal and county corruption
It erodes public trust in local government
As UIC researcher Dick Simpson noted, “After scores of federal prosecutions in recent decades the general public is beginning to demand that their elected officials pass effective reforms. Voters too are more willing to consider the impact and cost of corruption when they vote.”
Learning from Success: The Vernon Hills Model
The prosecution of former Vernon Hills Deputy Police Chief Patrick Zimmerman demonstrates what local accountability can look like. When evidence surfaced of falsified grant documents and illegal fund acceptance, Lake County prosecutors moved quickly with appropriate charges. The result was swift justice, deterred future misconduct, and restored public faith.
This should be the standard across all Northern Illinois counties. Every police chief, mayor, village administrator, and county official should understand that misconduct will face immediate prosecution, not federal deferrals or political protection.
A Call for Regional Leadership
The corruption crisis in Illinois didn’t happen overnight, and it won’t be solved by federal prosecutors alone. It requires a fundamental change in how local State’s Attorneys approach their responsibilities. They must see themselves not just as prosecutors of street crime, but as guardians of public integrity.
Recent cases have shown what’s possible when prosecutors act aggressively. In 2024 alone, federal prosecutors secured multiple high-profile corruption convictions. Local prosecutors should be achieving similar results in their jurisdictions.
Conclusion: Time for Action
As we move deeper into 2025, Northern Illinois State’s Attorneys face a choice: continue deferring to federal prosecutors while corruption flourishes at the local level, or step up and fulfill their obligation to hold public officials accountable.
The Supreme Court’s narrowing of federal corruption statutes has created both opportunity and obligation for local prosecutors. With Illinois ranking as the second most corrupt state and Chicago remaining the most corrupt metropolitan area, voters deserve prosecutors who will aggressively pursue corruption regardless of political connections or jurisdictional convenience.
Eric Rinehart in Lake County, Eileen O’Neill Burke in Cook County, and their counterparts across the collar counties have the tools, authority, and mandate to match federal prosecutors’ success. The question is whether they’ll use them.
The residents of Northern Illinois have paid the price for corruption for too long—$550 million per year in lost economic activity and immeasurable damage to public trust. It’s time for local prosecutors to prove they’re as committed to fighting corruption as they are to prosecuting street crime.
The federal prosecutors in the Dirksen Federal Building have shown the way. Now it’s time for State’s Attorneys across Northern Illinois to follow their lead—or risk becoming complicit in a system that treats public corruption as someone else’s problem.