Chicago City Wire

No matter how wealthy or well-connected a person is, no one is above the law, according to Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey in response to fraud claims that were not pursued.

Bailey, the incumbent State Senator from Xenia, gives an update on Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker's inactions over the fraud allegations. 

“It’s been more than two years since Gov. Pritzker’s office initiated fraudulent workers’ compensation payments for a Pritzker campaign worker, but no one in Illinois state government seems interested in prosecuting the case," Bailey said as he advocated for greater responsibility inside the Governor's office. "Gov. Pritzker and his office need to be held accountable for using state government like his personal piggy bank."

Jenny Thornley, a state employee and member of the governor's campaign team, was accused of fraud. Although no charges have been filed against Thornley, public records show that in January of this year, a representative of Illinois Central Management Services wrote to Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office to express concern about the partisanship of Jenny Thornley's worker's compensation claim, The Center Square reported. The memo describes Thornley as “quick to let everyone know of her political friendship with Governor Pritzker and his wife.” Thornley filed a worker's compensation claim on February 3, 2020. She is accused of additional overtime fraud in connection with her position at the Illinois State Police Merit Board in Sangamon County. Jack Garcia, the merit board's director, is accused of sexually abusing Thornley. Following a $550,000 taxpayer-funded inquiry, the assault accusations were found to be unfounded.

Records found by The Center Square show that Thornley texted M.K. Pritzker, the first lady of Illinois, requesting that she forward the message to Pritzker.

“I need JB to know what’s going on and hope they are keeping him aware,” Thornley said in a text, according to The Center Square.

Pritzker's office did become engaged in the situation, going so far as to see that her fraudulent workers' compensation claim was paid out. Despite the accusations, Raoul, who is up for reelection this year, referred to the situation as a "nothing burger" when questioned about it at a press conference. Raoul's remarks were made despite the fact that Thornley had received workers' compensation benefits despite having her accusations proven false and being charged with a crime for cheating the agency.

Wirepoints has been constantly monitoring the situation. According to both it and Center Square, Raoul's office allegedly lied when it claimed to have forwarded the matter to the State Appellate Prosecutor's office.

Following Pritzker's intervention, Thornely received $71,000 in worker's compensation benefits. She fabricated over time and is now awaiting criminal charges, yet she still lost her job for which she was paid $86,400 annually, Capitol Fax reported.