Former Stroger Aide Accused of Embezzlement on the Dole

By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 10, 2011 2:30PM

Former County Board President Todd Stroger's attempts at collecting unemployment were shot down in flames because he was an elected official. But his former aide, Carla Oglesby, was approved for unemployment benefits by Stroger in the months before he left office.Oglesby collected at least $3,465 in unemployment compensation in the final months of 2010, despite being charged with theft of government property, money laundering and official misconduct.

Oglesby filed for unemployment last October and questions abounded at the time over whether she qualified because she was charged with crimes related to her being on the job. There was also speculation over whether Oglesby formally resigned or if she was fired once the charges became public. Didn't matter to Stroger either way, since he didn't contest Oglesby's claim with IDES, in defiance of the County Board's wishes. A spokeswoman for County Board President Toni Preckwinkle confirmed Oglesby's unemployment payments yesterday, reiterating that it was approved before Preckwinkle took office.