ISP Merit Board spends $550,000 in taxpayer funds to investigate former employee twice

[May 25, 2022] By Andrew Hensel | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – The Illinois Legislative Audit Commission met Tuesday with the Illinois State Police Merit Board to discuss the spending of $550,000 in taxpayer funds to twice investigate an employee who was terminated from her role in 2020 over wage theft allegations.

The Audit Commission found that the ISP paid former Merit Board CFO Jenny Thornley, also a former campaign volunteer for Gov. JB Pritzker, over $71,000 in taxpayer dollars in disability and workers' compensation pay, even after she was fired by the merit board.

Thornley was charged in Sangamon County in September 2021 with stealing up to $100,000 in false overtime claims. It’s alleged she forged the signature of the agency’s executive director, Jack Garcia.

After Thornley learned about the ISPMB investigation into her alleged wrongdoings, she accused Garcia of groping her in his office. That allegation was determined to be unfounded.

"The employee in question, once finding out about the investigation into her, then contacted the Governor's office herself and made allegations against director Garcia," State Sen. and Commission member Chapin Rose said.

The two investigations into Thornley cost the taxpayers more than $550,000, according to ISPMB Executive Director Emily Fox.

"Overall, this investigation cost the Merit Board approximately $550,000," Fox told the Legislative Audit Commission.

State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet
Image courtesy of BlueRoomStream

During the hearing on Tuesday, ISP Merit Board legal counsel Dan Dykstra said that after their investigation, he contacted the governor's office to discuss what steps to take next.

"I gave him a brief summary of the investigation and what our plans were going forward," Dykstra said. Dykstra was then asked about what those plans entail.

"An employment action against the former employee and I do not remember if we said we were planning to meet with the police or not," Dykstra said.

The governor's office suggested another outside investigation into the matter that required the use of more taxpayer money.
 

Rose asked the ISP Merit board representatives why two investigations needed to be done.

"Why did the taxpayers have to spend over a half of a million dollars, and I guess some of that has to do with the Garcia investigation, but what did they expect to find that you guys didn't already find with your investigation," Rose asked.

The investigations overall found that Thornley received $63,261 in workers' compensation benefits from July 21, 2020, through Sept. 7, 2021, with payments ending shortly before a grand jury indictment. Thornley also received $8,140 for a disability claim.

Andrew Hensel has years of experience as a reporter and pre-game host for the Joliet Slammers, and as a producer for the Windy City Bulls. A graduate of Iowa Wesleyan University and Illinois Media School, Andrew lives in the south suburbs of Chicago.