Report: Unsealed Records Allege Pritzker Oversaw Fraudulent Comp Payments

Monday, July 25, 2022 | 0

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker oversaw an allegedly fraudulent workers’ compensation case filed by a former campaign worker who claimed she worked in the governor’s office after the state agency that actually employed her denied the claim, according to a report by the nonprofit Center Square.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker

The report says documents unsealed in a lawsuit filed by the Illinois State Police Merit Board allege Jenny Thornley falsely claimed she worked for the governor and not the board.

Thornley, who worked on Pritzker’s campaign in 2018, sought workers’ compensation benefits for a psychological injury she said resulted from a sexual assault by ISP Merit Board Director Jack Garcia.

“However, Thornley did not make this claim to the Merit Board, which employed her,” the ISP Merit Board lawsuit claims. “Instead, leveraging her relationship with the Pritzkers, Thornley made the claim directly to the governor’s general counsel, (Anne) Spillane. And Spillane accepted that claim and processed it, even though the claim falsely listed Thornley’s employer as the Governor’s Office rather than the Merit Board.”

The lawsuit also alleged Thornley received $66,998 in unearned overtime from 2014 through 2019, payments for travel that didn’t occur and other improper reimbursements.