Private Lie? Phony ‘Investigator’ Secretly Recorded Phone Call With Deputy’s Dad: Cops

JOLIET, IL — A Lockport man posing as a private investigator secretly recorded a telephone call with a Will County deputy’s father, police said.

Joseph Roberto, 47, was trying to track down the deputy following an incident between the lawman and Roberto’s son, police said.

The deputy had been in a Homer Glen restaurant when he noticed the son driving recklessly in the parking lot, police said. When the son walked into the restaurant, the deputy confronted him about his driving and gave him a verbal warning.

The son apparently told his dad about it, and on New Year’s Day, Roberto called the deputy’s parents and claimed to be an “investigator,” police said. Roberto allegedly proceeded to question the deputy’s father, asking him for information on the deputy, including his phone number.

The father reportedly refused to provide any information and, after hanging up on Roberto, called his son and informed him about what had happened.

The deputy notified his department and detectives located Roberto. When he was questioned about calling the deputy’s father, Roberto admitted to recording the conversation using an app on his phone.

It also turned out that Roberto is not actually an investigator. He does hold a state Permanent Employee Registration Card, which allows him to work as an unarmed employee of a licensed private detective, private alarm contractor, private security force or locksmith agency.

Roberto was arrested Friday and booked into the Will County jail on three counts of eavesdropping. His bond was set at $10,000.

Joseph Roberto | image via Will County Sheriff's Department