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. 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 standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Before delivering her decision, Judge Rossetti reviewed many of the 45 exhibits presented by the state, which included thousands of pages of documents and testimony 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. He was also well aware of 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 case centered around allegations that he claimed pay for hours he did not work, without deducting those hours from his accrued benefit time. The prosecution claimed that this misconduct cost taxpayers over $70,000 in lost wages, time, and benefits. Notably, a more serious charge of stealing over $100,000 was dropped before the trial began.
During the trial, Assistant State’s Attorney Scott Turk portrayed Pieri as a disgruntled employee who wanted a traditional 9-to-5 job, despite his title. Prosecution witnesses testified that all firefighters, including Pieri, were required to work 24-hour shifts every third day, as is standard in small departments.
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 sets of calculations prepared by the state’s fraud examiner. Additionally, they challenged the assumption that the time sheets were incorrect when they didn’t match the firehouse computer records. An expert witness, Benjamin Wilner, criticized the reliability of the time records after discovering an inconsistency where a fire official supposedly worked 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 $66,000 salary until fall 2013, when the city’s fire and police commissioners board voted 2-1 to place him on unpaid suspension.
The board had been waiting for the outcome of the criminal trial before making a final decision on his employment status. “The burden is now on the city to take the next step, and that will continue now,†said Pecaro, referring to the ongoing legal and administrative process.
For more updates, check out our previous coverage HERE.
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