‘Rape in Champaign’ email part of state probe
Sources: Possible link to inmate’s early release focus of investigators
State investigators are looking into whether an explosive email that refers to keeping quiet about a “rape in Champaign” could be tied to an inmate who got out of prison early and then sexually abused a young girl, sources familiar with the probe told the Tribune.
The development comes after politicians from both parties spent last week calling for an investigation into the email, which was sent in July 2012 by Mike McClain, a close confidant of Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.
At the time, McClain was going to bat on behalf of Forrest Ashby, a longtime state prisons employee who was embroiled in a disciplinary case.
“For God’s sake do not let this disciplinary meeting get out of hand. This man is a good compliance person, as I told you. The (attorney general’s) office and the Sheriffs love working with him,” McClain wrote to top aides of then-Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. “He has kept his mouth shut on Jones’ ghost workers, the rape in Champaign and other items. He is loyal to the Administration.”
The email, which surfaced last week in a story published by WBEZ, comes as McClain, a former highpowered Commonwealth Edison lobbyist, faces federal scrutiny as part of a wide-ranging government corruption probe.
The Illinois State Police said Friday that it would work with the state inspector general to investigate what’s alleged in the email. The Illinois attorney general and the U.S. attorney’s office also are involved.
On Saturday, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation told the Tribune that officials are looking into whether McClain’s “rape in Champaign” reference could involve the early release of prisoners under Quinn, who came under fire for the practice in 2010.
The source said investigators are looking at the case of Scott Wayne Thompson, who is being held at a state facility for sex crime offenders in downstate Rushville. Thompson received early release from prison and then was charged with and convicted of sex abuse, records show.
“I can confirm it is one possible scenario that is being looked at,“the source said.
The Tribune examined sex assault and sex abuse charges in Champaign County in 2009 and 2010, and looked at inmates who were released early from prison.
Corrections records show that Thompson was sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison for failing to register as a sex offender from a 1999 case in Piatt County, where he was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim under age 13.
In addition to the typical day-for-day credit for time served, Thompson was given an extra 180 days of good-time credit 60 days into his sentence, said a senior administration official who has reviewed corrections records.
Thompson was released from prison on May 20, 2010, the official said. About three months later, Thompson was arrested on charges of sexual abuse of a minor, Champaign County court records show. Prosecutors said Thompson was alone with a 10-year-old girl at an Urbana home when the abuse occurred, the News-Gazette reported.
In February 2011, Thompson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 3 ½ years in prison, court records show. Other records show that in June 2012, Thompson was released to the Illinois Department of Human Services, which runs a treatment and detention facility for sex offenders in Rushville.
At the time, Ashby worked at Rushville as a hospital manager, according to McClain’s email to state officials. That meant Ashby potentially was in position to know about Thompson being admitted to the facility for the sex crime.
On Saturday, Ashby declined to comment. “I’m not at liberty to discuss,” he said. “At this point, sir, I can’t give you a statement.”
As McClain tried to help Ashby in his disciplinary case by emailing top Quinn aides in 2012, the early release issue was a political liability for the governor.
Quinn had tried to cut costs by giving inmates accelerated good-time credit, and some of those who were released early went on to commit crimes, including murder. Quinn’s opponents ran attack ads that nearly cost him both the primary and general election in 2010.
Quinn told reporters last week that he didn’t know about it, and the Quinn aides whom McClain emailed did not respond to requests for comment. McClain could not be reached Saturday.
Asked for further details about the state probe, the law enforcement source declined to elaborate.
“It is an ongoing investigation, and it would be inappropriate for me to comment on (any other) details of the investigation,” the source said.
The disclosure of McClain’s email led Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker to denounce the email “as horrific” and refer the matter to a state watchdog agency and law enforcement officials to find out if any wrongdoing was committed.
In 2018, Pritzker’s campaign had hired Ashby as campaign consultant for “faith-based outreach” on what it said was McClain’s recommendation. Ashby also got a contract with a state law enforcement training board that was suspended on Wednesday.
The McClain email also drew condemnation from lawmakers, including Speaker Madigan, who called the allegation in the email sent by his friend McClain “extremely serious and troubling.”
“I had no knowledge of the incident referenced,” Madigan said in a statement.
House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs called for a House panel to investigate and take testimony. Madigan denied Durkin’s request, saying Pritzker has assured him the matter had been referred to the appropriate authorities.
Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Chicago Democrat, called on Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz and the U.S. attorney’s office to open an investigation and seek testimony from McClain and relevant members of the former Quinn administration.
Rietz said she had spoken to the attorney general’s office Thursday afternoon and would be assisting the investigation to unravel the meaning of McClain’s reference.
“Certainly, if there’s a victim in my county I want to do everything I can to bring the perpetrator to justice,” she said.
The email disclosure added to McClain’s woes. Last week, McClain said federal authorities had asked him to cooperate in their government corruption investigation that includes his activities as a ComEd lobbyist.
The Tribune has reported that the FBI raided McClain’s Quincy home in May. In November, the Tribune reported that authorities secretly recorded McClain’s phone conversations. The Tribune also first reported that federal authorities have asked questions about Madigan and his political operation as part of their ongoing investigation, according to four people who have been interviewed.