La Grange Area Agency Clawed Back Money From Convict: Records

LA GRANGE, IL – In 2015, the head of the Lyons Township Treasurer's Office promised to collect $88,000 from the disgraced former treasurer's pension.

That was according to a Chicago Tribune story at the time.

The statement was from Michael Thiessen, who remains the president of the treasurer's office's board.

When the statement was made, former Treasurer Robert Healy had been convicted in connection with the theft of $1.5 million. That was from the money the office manages on behalf of local school districts.

Healy was sentenced to nine years in prison. (He has since been released, though it's unclear when.)

In the months leading to his conviction, Healy collected a total of $88,000 that he had paid into the state pension system, according to the Tribune.

Because Healy was convicted of a job-related felony, he was no longer eligible for a pension.

Patch asked Ken Getty, the treasurer since 2018, about the $88,000.

Getty pointed to a 2017 memo from his predecessor, Susan Birkenmaier, that indicated the office received the Healy money.

Getty also showed an audit that he said represented the same information.