• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Muddy River Sports
  • Podcasts
    • State of Play with David Adam
    • Muddy River Minute
  • Muddy River TV+
  • Support Muddy River News
  • Newsletter

Muddy River News

Our Home. Our News.

  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Politics
  • Muddy River Vibe
  • Blotter
  • Business
  • Local Matters
  • Markets & Ag
  • Opinion
  • Obituaries
  • Real Estate
  • Shop
Home » News » Former state senator sentenced to 1 year in prison for embezzlement; received salary, benefits from ghost union job

Former state senator sentenced to 1 year in prison for embezzlement; received salary, benefits from ghost union job

June 21, 2022 — by PETER HANCOCK, Capitol News Illinois

Former Illinois state Sen. Tom Cullerton, D-Villa Park, was sentenced to a year in federal prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to embezzlement. | Capitol News Illinois file photo by Lee Milner, Illinois Times

SPRINGFIELD — A federal judge in Chicago handed down a one-year prison sentence Tuesday for a former state senator who once chaired the Senate Labor Committee.

Tom Cullerton, a Villa Park Democrat, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of embezzlement for receiving salary and benefits from Teamsters Joint Council 25 as a purported union organizer even though he admitted to doing little or no work for the union.

Cullerton, 52, was first elected to the General Assembly in 2012 to represent the 23rd District, which at that time spanned a portion of northern DuPage County. He had previously worked as a truck driver and was a member of a local Teamsters union.

In March 2013, shortly after being sworn into office, he was given a job at Teamsters Joint Council 25 and he remained on the payroll until February 2016.

In addition to receiving a salary, monthly car and telephone allowances and bonuses, prosecutors said, Teamsters Joint Council 25 also funded Cullerton’s health and pension benefits through Teamsters Local Union 734, all totaling $248,828.

Cullerton was indicted in August 2019 on 40 counts of embezzlement. But he maintained his innocence and continued to serve in the Senate, although he was stripped of his chairmanship of the Labor Committee.

In March of this year, however, he entered a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in which he admitted to one count of embezzlement. He then resigned his Senate seat and was replaced by former state Rep. Diane Pappas, who is not running for a full term in that office.

In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman also ordered Cullerton to repay the union $223,828, an amount that reflected the fact that he had previously made a $25,000 restitution payment. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed not to seek forfeiture of his Villa Park residence

Prosecutors initially asked for an 18-month sentence, which they said would reflect the seriousness of the crime.

In a court filing earlier this month, they noted that after Cullerton lost his job at Teamsters Joint Council 25, he took another “do-nothing” job as a salesman for a video gaming company in 2017 where he received a salary of $1,000 a week, an amount that was later doubled to $2,000 a week, even though he brought in little if any business for the company. He was not charged in relation to those payments.

He continued to receive those payments, prosecutors argued, until the investigation into his Teamsters employment became public.

Cullerton’s defense attorney, however, argued for a more lenient sentence of three years’ probation, with an order to perform community service and pay restitution, arguing that Cullerton was currently employed doing shift work at a warehouse and that money continues to be a source of stress for his family.

“Tom is a good and decent man who made a terrible mistake,” attorney Daniel Collins wrote in a court filing. “He should not have accepted the Teamsters salary and benefits without doing enough to earn them. Tom will live the rest of his life with deep regret and shame, but he is determined to make it right and continue in some way to help his community.”

Miss Clipping Out Stories to Save for Later?

Click the Purchase Story button below to order a print of this story. We will print it for you on matte photo paper to keep forever.

Purchase Story
close

Do you want to receive the Muddy River News newsletter in your inbox every morning? Send us your email address, click "Subscribe" and don't forget to check your email to confirm your FREE subscription.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Filed Under: Illinois Politics Tagged With: Tom Cullerton

Primary Sidebar

MUDDY RIVER NEWS BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: TRACY GENENBACHER, T-FORCE ADVERTISING

https://youtu.be/UE3J4MjGofM
View Complete Forecast

Trending Posts This Week

  • Hannibal attorney running for judge charged with felony for attempted tampering with victim
    HANNIBAL, Mo. — A Hannibal attorney running to become an associate judge in the 10th Judicial Circuit was charged with...
  • Homan trial removed from July jury docket after prosecution learns potential witness is unavailable
    QUINCY — The trial of the former owner of the Barn nightclub, who faces one count of aggravated battery in...
  • Withdrawal of Wiley’s attorney in first-degree murder case could lead to change in prosecution as well
    QUINCY — The decision of a local attorney to take a new job has led to the jury trial of...
  • Mendon man charged with striking school board member in face pleads guilty to misdemeanor
    QUINCY — A Mendon man charged with striking a school board member at a meeting of the Mendon School Board...
  • Bailey dominates to take GOP gubernatorial nod
    Adams County Republicans and Congresswoman Mary Miller are gathered in the Town and Country Inn Ballroom for primary results.

Follow Us Online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Our Most Recent Podcasts

  • CLUB MUDDY PODCAST: Who the F… is Frankie Murphy Giesing June 30, 2022
  • Trump talks Miller endorsement, Adams Co. visit June 23, 2022
  • CLUB MUDDY: Breaking the seal June 22, 2022
  • BOOK NOOK with Ron Kinscherf June 13, 2022
  • BOOK NOOK: Libations for the Library May 18, 2022
  • Book Nook for April 26, 2022 April 26, 2022
  • Book Nook for April 19, 2022 April 19, 2022
  • DOB and the BBB: April 7, 2022 April 7, 2022
  • Book Nook: April 6, 2020 April 7, 2022
  • Book Nook: Quincy Public Library for March 22 March 22, 2022

More Top Stories

Muddy River News This Week: Adam Yates, chief of Quincy Police Department

by J. Robert Gough, Publisher

Bob Gough talks to Adam Yates, Quincy's new police chief, about the state of the department and gives a warning about the elimination of cash bail in Illinois. Muddy River News This Week is furnished by Harvey's. … ...Read Full Article about Muddy River News This Week: Adam Yates, chief of Quincy Police Department

Ask MRN: Are the cameras at Broadway intersections recording traffic on video?

by David Adam, MRN Editor

Dear MRN, Are these cameras (on Broadway) recording traffic on video? Can we see or watch the video? What are these cameras used for? The camera shown in the photo above, and others like them at other intersections throughout Quincy, are used to detect vehicle movement to help regulate traffic … ...Read Full Article about Ask MRN: Are the cameras at Broadway intersections recording traffic on video?

Daily Muddy: Ashley and Brittany head to Hannibal to check out Tom Sawyer Days

by Muddy River News

Ashley Conrad and Brittany Boll with the Muddy River News staff make the trip to Hannibal for Tom Sawyer Days to check out the mud volleyball tournament, interviewing the tournament coordinator, one of the event's younger competitors and one of its oldest competitors (yes, that means you, Kevin … ...Read Full Article about Daily Muddy: Ashley and Brittany head to Hannibal to check out Tom Sawyer Days

Homan trial removed from July jury docket after prosecution learns potential witness is unavailable

by David Adam, MRN Editor

QUINCY — The trial of the former owner of the Barn nightclub, who faces one count of aggravated battery in connection to a March 2020 incident involving a former Quincy University student, has been removed from the July jury docket. Steven Homan, 48, of Quincy appeared before Judge Kevin Tippey … ...Read Full Article about Homan trial removed from July jury docket after prosecution learns potential witness is unavailable

Hannibal attorney running for judge charged with felony for attempted tampering with victim

by David Adam, MRN Editor

HANNIBAL, Mo. — A Hannibal attorney running to become an associate judge in the 10th Judicial Circuit was charged with a felony earlier this month for offering a victim $4,000 not to testify against his client. Luke Bryant, prosecuting attorney for Marion County, filed a complaint in Marion … ...Read Full Article about Hannibal attorney running for judge charged with felony for attempted tampering with victim

Footer

Coverage Area

Muddy River News LLC
535 Maine, Suite 4A
Quincy, IL 62301

Have a Story or News Tips? Contact Us!

Phone: (217) 577-8044
Email: news@muddyrivernews.com

Copyright © 2022 • Muddy River News LLC • All Rights Reserved • Privacy Policy