Excerpts from ChicagoTribune.com:
Four years after former Highwood Fire Department Deputy Chief Ronald Pieri was arrested on charges of payroll fraud, a Lake County Circuit Court judge has found him guilty of one count of false entry for falsifying time records. However, Judge Victoria Rossetti ruled him not guilty on two counts of official misconduct and two counts of theft of government property.
The sentencing for the single felony conviction is set for February 17. Pieri could face probation or up to five years in prison if convicted. After the verdict, defense attorney Richard Blass expressed his disagreement with the outcome, stating that he does not believe the state’s evidence met the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Before delivering her ruling, Judge Rossetti reviewed the contents of 45 exhibits, which included thousands of pages of documents, as well as testimonies from key witnesses. She noted that Pieri had extensive knowledge of the firehouse computer system used to track personnel on duty, as he managed the system and trained others in its use. He was also familiar with the city’s policies regarding fire department employees.
Pieri faced trial this fall on felony charges related to falsified time records between January 2006 and December 2010. The prosecution alleged that he claimed pay for hours not worked without deducting them from his accrued benefit time. According to the case, this fraud cost taxpayers over $70,000 in lost wages, time, and benefits. Notably, a more serious charge involving over $100,000 was dropped before the trial began.
During opening and closing arguments, Assistant State’s Attorney Scott Turk painted Pieri as a disgruntled employee who wanted to work a standard 9-to-5 schedule. Despite his title, he was required to work 24-hour shifts every third day, just like other firefighters in the small department, according to testimony.
Pieri's defense team, led by attorneys Richard Blass and Julie Trevarthen, argued that the state's case relied on flawed and unreliable data. They pointed out discrepancies in three different sets of calculations prepared by the state’s fraud examiner. Additionally, the defense claimed that the prosecution assumed the time sheets were incorrect, rather than the official firehouse records. An expert witness, Benjamin Wilner, testified that the time records were unreliable due to an inconsistency showing a firefighter working 1,500 hours in a single day.
Pieri was arrested in the fall of 2011 and initially placed on paid administrative leave while the city investigated. At the time of his arrest, he was the highest-ranking member of the Highwood Fire Department, married to an alderman, and the son of a former alderman. He continued to receive his salary of around $66,000 until fall 2013, when the city’s fire and police commissioners board voted 2-1 to suspend him without pay.
The commission had been waiting for the outcome of the criminal trial before making any decision on his employment status. “The burden is now on the city to take the next step, and that will continue now,†said Pecaro.
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