Lawsuit: Joliet Township Supervisor Committed Fraud, Embezzlement

JOLIET, IL — Dan Vera, a well-known Will County Democrat who serves as Joliet Township Supervisor, now finds himself named as the defendant in a civil lawsuit that accuses him of fraud and embezzlement.

The case was filed this week at Will County's Courthouse by the Law Offices of Robert T. Hanlon & Associates out of Woodstock. The plaintiff is the Joliet Township Road District. Vera is the treasurer of the road district for Joliet Township.

According his agency's website, Vera makes an annual salary of $78,400, plus $3,600 in fuel allowances. His total compensation with benefits is $95,502 for being employed with the Joliet Township government.

The Joliet Township government office is located in downtown Joliet right across the street from Joliet's City Hall.

Here are some of the key allegations raised in the civil lawsuit, which is 14 pages:

• "As recently as October 2019, Vera attempted to coerce highway commissioner Michael Turnball into terminating employees that had completed work on Vera's private property in an effort to silence those employees from disclosing the fact that they were employed by the Road District and performed work on property owned by Vera, using Road District equipment during regular working hours."
• "In addition to completing work on Vera's building and retaining wall, equipment and employees from the Road District were used to move concrete pots upon Vera's demands."
• Through a pattern of conduct, Vera obtained other benefits not included in his lawfully authorized compensation including but not limited to reduced assessments on property that Vera has a pecuniary interest. The reduction in assessments arose during the period Vera was supervisor. One of his properties is located at the northeast corner of Hickory and Jefferson Streets in Joliet, Illinois was improperly assessed. The improper assessment included omitting residential areas from the assessment and omitting air conditioning in order to create a reduced assessment."
• "As part of Vera's scheme ... Vera received the benefit of the work of Road District employees and free use of Road District equipment with the Road District employees performing labor on a property owned either directly or indirectly by Vera. More specifically, Road District employees performed excavation work and supplied labor repairing a retaining wall and setting concrete at the expense of the Road District on a property owned by Vera."

The lawsuit also accuses Vera, in his role as Joliet Township's CEO and treasurer, of having "co-mingled the funds of the Township with the funds of the Road District. By co-mingling Road District monies with Township monies, the division of the respective units of government... the Road District is impaired in its operation as a unit of government."

• "Vera placed the Road District's money into an account in the name of the Township, as opposed to the Road District, and paid obligations of either the East Joliet Lighting District or the Township ...."
• "As part of Vera's scheme to acquire the free services of the Road District's employees and the use of Road District equipment, he held himself out to be the CEO of the Township and Road District, and even commanded the termination of Road District employees."

On Wednesday, Dan Vera was the subject of a CBS Chicago investigative story headlined, "Workers: They Were Forced To Landscape Township Supervisor's Property."

The Chicago television station reported that "CBS 2 Investigators tried to track him down. He was reached by phone and agreed to an interview to explain his side of the story. But he never showed up."