Thursday, January 14, 2010

Charles Flowers Arrested For Theft...Faces Additional Charges!!!

According to published reports in the Chicago Sun-Times, Daily Southtown and Chicago Tribune, Charles Flowers, the embattled superintendent of the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education, surrendered to authorities today at the Cook County courthouse in Maywood on public corruption charges.

State's Attorney Anita Alvarez has scheduled a press conference for 3:30 p.m. and is expected to announce criminal charges against Flowers for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from the bankrupt agency.
Flowers and the agency are already fighting a civil suit brought in July by the state's attorney's office for failing to repay a $190,000 loan from the county. The suit alleges Flowers defrauded the county because he knew the agency could never be repaid due to its shattered finances.

The charges are the result of a separate criminal probe into allegations that he used agency funds for his own personal gain. Last year, a state audit found that the agency--which handles teacher certification and inspections for suburban schools--was $1 million in debt and accused Flowers of using a work credit card for personal use as well as giving a $6,000 advance to a relative he hired to work for him.