Another Day, Another Indictment

By Soyoung Kwak in News on Sep 11, 2010 5:50PM

Illinois state politics took another turn for the worse when McHenry County State's Attorney Louis Bianchi, along with his executive assistant, Joyce Synek, were indicted on corruption charges. Bianchi, who was serving on his second term as the state's attorney, was served a 17-page felony indictment yesterday:

A special grand jury indicted State's Atty. Louis Bianchi on conspiracy and official misconduct charges that accuse him of using county employees and equipment for political purposes.

Although Bianchi was charged on 19 counts of misconduct, Bianchi claimed his innocence yesterday:

"I am stunned by this indictment because I have done nothing wrong," Bianchi said in the press statement. "In private practice before and in public life now, I have always acted lawfully and with integrity. This episode represents the first time in my 42-year career that my integrity has been questioned."

The indictment against Bianchi was initiated in September 2009 when a former secretary of Bianchi stated that he had her conduct his campaign business during her work hours. It appears that Bianchi and his lawyer are both adamant about asserting his innocence: "I hope these special prosecutors are ready for a war because that is what they are going to get," Bianchi's lawyer, Terry Ekl, said in a statement. "Mr. Bianchi has done nothing illegal or improper in connection with his office."

Although Bianchi himself is "stunned" by the allegations, Chicago Breaking News reports that he is not the first suburban state's attorney involved in a corruption investigation.