Marquardt Bros. -- We've Got Your Back

Lobbyist for DuPage County State's Attorney's Office is Attorney & Brother of Forest Preserve's IT Covert Forensic Investigator

PART EIGHT OF COUNTYLEAKS SERIES...

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven

Scott Marquardt of the Wheaton-based law firm, Marquardt & Belmonte, P.C., represented JRM, Inc. in matters related with the company's secret "internal investigation" of the DuPage County Forest Preserve District's information technology (IT) department. JRM is an IT firm owned by Jerry Marquardt of Naperville, the attorney's brother. 

Scott is also a lobbyist at a firm named after the founder and the late father of the brothers, Roger C. Marquardt & Co. This firm is paid $4,000 per month by the DuPage County State's Attorney's office for lobbying services. Scott's wife, Barbara Skurka/Marquardt, has been paid $48,000 as a consultant for Citizens for Bob Berlin, the political campaign for the State's Attorney.

Findings from JRM were given to the State's Attorney's office in 2011. A year later, the District's former director of its IT department, Mark McDonald, and the department manager, David Tepper, were each charged with 140 felony counts, while a third man, Arif Mahmood, who worked for Alamach Technology, Inc., an IT vendor for the District, was charged with 37 counts, in an alleged scheme stealing $150,000 from the Forest Preserve.

Citizen watchdogs claim there are numerous political ties, conflicts of interest and a lack of legitimacy surrounding the internal investigation leading to the charges.

In a letter last month concerning Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests handled by the Forest Preserve's attorney, Jim Knippen of Wheaton, Marquardt stated that his firm represents JRM. After explaining that JRM has previously complied with FOIA requests, the letter reads: "JRM, Inc. is no longer in possession of any other emails." And, "Please be advised that JRM., Inc. will no longer be maintaining copies of these documents as it is not required by law or its contract with FPD to do so." (To enlarge, click the image.)

JRM was paid $66,000 by the Forest Preserve in 2011. Per the IT firm's contract, Resolution No. 11-313, all records and documents from the internal investigation are property of the Forest Preserve.

CountyLeaks reported last November that no injunction had been sought to preserve all records pertaining to this case in "Hark -- Is that the Buzz of Cicadas or a Shredder? Did the DuPage Forest Preserve Shred a Truckload of Records During a Criminal Investigation?"

Nine months later, it appears nothing has changed.

Now Entering the Ring -- Heavyweight Former Federal Prosecutor Patrick Collins vs. Featherweight DuPage County State's Attorney Bob Berlin

PART SEVEN OF COUNTYLEAKS SERIES...

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six

Chicago attorney Patrick Collins, famous for leading the federal prosecution which placed former Illinois Governor George Ryan in an orange jumpsuit for racketeering and fraud, will be representing Arif Mahmood, a defendant charged with 37 counts for his alleged involvement in a scheme of stealing $150,000 from the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

Last November, the District's former director of its IT department, Mark McDonald, and the department manager, David Tepper, were each indicted with 140 felony counts, while Mahmood, who worked for Alamach Technology, Inc., an IT vendor for the District, was charged with 37 counts, in the alleged theft scheme.

Nearly two years after losing their Forest Preserve jobs and contract, ten months after their arrests and eight months after their indictments of 317 felony counts, the DuPage County State's Attorney's office still has not produced a bill of particulars -- the formal, detailed, written complaint of charges -- as required by law (725 ILCS 5/111-6).

DuPage County Judge Blanche Hill Fawell ordered on May 13th that the State produce a bill of particulars at the hearing scheduled for today at the Henry J. Hyde Judicial Office Facility of Wheaton. After a series of delays over months -- a flood, attorney vacations, attorney non-appearance, and the judge testifying in another criminal case -- DuPage County Asst. State's Attorney Ken Tatarelis requested more time. 

The state was granted a five-week extension until Aug. 19th, as there were no objections from defense attorneys Terry Ekl and Ernie DiBenedetto, representing Tepper and McDonald respectively.

Collins was prepared to begin representing Mahmood in this morning's hearing. However, Mahmood's first attorney, Timothy Martin of Wheaton-based Martin & Kent, LLC, had not yet withdrawn from the case. Reportedly, attempts to contact Martin today prior to the hearing were unsuccessful.