State Rep Urges Gov To Cancel Holiday Gala, Focus On DCFS Woes

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — A local politician says he won’t be attending a holiday party put on by Gov. JB Pritzker “when children like AJ Freund are dying in McHenry County and 101 other counties in Illinois,” Rep. Allen Skillicorn, R-Crystal Lake, wrote in a statement sent to local media representatives Tuesday. That statement, he said, should be considered his RSVP to Pritzker’s holiday parties, which will be held in December.

Invitations to the parties were sent to members of the Illinois House and Senate. The first soirée will be held at a rooftop bar in Chicago on Dec. 5 and the second will be at the Governor’s mansion in Springfield on Dec. 7. Those invited could RSVP to just one of the events.

Skillicorn said he won’t be attending and urged Pritzker to “cancel the damn ball.” He called on the governor to instead focus on “cleaning house” within the Department of Health of Family Services and firing Carlos Acosta, a DCFS investigator who worked on the Freund case prior to the 5-year-old Crystal Lake boy’s death.

“The DCFS investigator, Carlos Acosta, remains employed at over $90k a year at DCFS and almost $25k a year double dipping as a McHenry County Board member,” according to Skillicorn. “FOIA requests show that Acosta punches in on the state payroll and then heads to county committee hearings. He attended the Illinois Democratic County Chairmen’s Association candidate training event in Springfield while on call for DCFS in 2017.”

Related:

DCFS Workers In A.J. Freund Case Expected To Be Fired: Report

AJ Freund's Death Due To 'Reckless' DCFS Duo: Lawsuit

AJ Freund Died Three Days Before He Was Reported Missing: Report

Police Reports Provide Glimpse Into Missing Boy's Home Life

'Maybe Mommy Didn't Mean to Hurt Me': DCFS Reports Released

Authorities say Freund died on April 15 after his parents forced him to stay in a cold shower for an extended period of time and beat him. Joann Cunningham, 36, and Andrew Freund Sr., 60, are charged with his murder.

Skillicorn, who represents the 66th district, says it’s clear to him that DCFS, the Illinois Democratic Party, AFSCME and “even the Governor’s office condones political operatives using taxpayer time to do their dirty work, even when children are dying.”

He called on the McHenry County Board, McHenry County State’s Attorney and Pritzker to take some action.

“This is Chicago corruption in our backyards and children are paying the price,” he said.

Over the past year, Patch has reported on the encounters AJ's parents had with DCFS during his short life. AJ was placed in foster care with a relative after he was born with opiates and benzodiazepines in his system.

After 18 months, AJ was returned to his parents' care, and DCFS made 26 visits to the home, where they reported no signs of abuse or neglect. The family went almost two years without any contact with DCFS until calls started coming in again, starting in March 2018, regarding "odd bruising" on AJ's face and dog feces on the floor at the home.

The problems at 94 Dole Avenue were not new. Before AJ was born, his older brother, who is now 18 years old, reportedly lived in squalor and witnessed violent acts between Andrew Freund Sr. and Joann Cunningham.

In 2012, Cunningham's mother filed for custody of the child after Joann dropped him off with her in August 2012. Andrew Freund Sr. and Joann Cunningham reportedly met around the same time after Andrew Freund Sr. represented Cunningham during her divorce. Cunningham moved into Freund's Dole Avenue home in Crystal Lake soon after.