Dorothy Brown, longtime Clerk of the Circuit Court and one-time mayoral candidate, appears to be the target of a federal investigation.
Politico reports that sources tell them the FBI conducted a raid at her home, seizing her cell phone.
According to Politico, it's believed to be an outgrowth of an investigation of Brown's husband, Benton Cook, and a state contract he was awarded for the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative (NRI) by Gov. Pat Quinn's administration.
Brown and her staff have refused to respond to repeated questions, but a witness told NBC 5 he saw six cars of investigators outside Brown's home in the early morning hours last Thursday. The cars remained at the residence for more than four hours, the witness said.
Brown is up for re-election in the March primary for the post she has held for 15 years. She has faced questions before, including ones about a program she charged employees for "blue jean Fridays" and placed the employees' donations in a private charity fund.
Also there have been longtime complaints about the efficiency of her office, with those who file court records saying it has not been updated and staffers still use carbon paper.
"We have no comment at this time about the alleged activity there," a spokesman for the FBI said.
A U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson said, "I am not aware of anything pending."
