Former Madison County administrator accuses treasurer of lying to investigators, sues
Madison County Treasurer Chris Slusser is being sued by former Madison County Administrator Doug Hulme, who says Slusser made false statements during a two-year investigation into allegations of corruption that lead to him losing his job.
In a statement, Hulme said Slusser and former Madison County Board Member Lisa Campioli’s statements to the Madison County Public Corruption Task Force during an investigation earlier this year were false and caused “irreparable damage” to his professional reputation.
“The false statements of Chris Slusser and Lisa Ciampoli set off an investigation in which I was exonerated by the Illinois Attorney General,” Hulme said. “Slusser went so far as to wear a wire, also called an overhear device, cornering me in my office unannounced. The public should know that Chris Slusser and Lisa Ciampoli used their elected positions, on county time, to start an investigation to intentionally harm their political opponents.”
In a statement, Slusser called the lawsuit “frivolous.”
“This is yet another frivolous lawsuit filed by a disgraced former county official apparently bent on punishing and intimidating honest people who have come forward to report suspected wrongdoing in county government,” Slusser said.
The investigation stemmed from allegations that Hulme and former Information Technology Director Rob Dorman attempted a pay-for-play scheme by offering a county job to a member of U.S. Rep. John Shimkus’ staff if Shimkus endorsed attorney Don Weber for a U.S. attorney position.
Several members of the Madison County Board brought the allegations forth, citing documents from a state investigation, and the two were fired for being “outside the bounds of ethical conduct and standards.”
The board members, citing the documents, also accused the aides of:
Initiating a “scheme” to hack into and spy on emails of the Madison County judiciary and offices of elected county officials for political purpose;
Compromising victim information, releasing sensitive and legally privileged information regarding ongoing cases;
Reviewing emails of judges and giving access to a non-employee to conduct searches of county email for campaign purposes.
The investigation did not result in any criminal charges, but the two men were fired nearly unanimously, with only one member of the county board voting against their dismissal.
At the time, Hulme said the county board’s decision did not give him “due process” and called it a mistake. He said he planned to appeal the decision through the courts.
“It forces someone like me to assert my rights in a court of law which would have been avoidable and unnecessary,” Hulme wrote in a prepared statement in April.
Dorman also said he disagreed with the board’s decision.
A two-year investigation
The investigation into the alleged corruption charges started two-years prior to Hulme and Dorman’s dismissal.
Affidavits from the Illinois attorney general’s investigation, which were obtained by the Belleville News-Democrat, reflect further testimony that Hulme and Dorman accessed the emails of county employees and elected officials to gain political leverage and that printers were installed in county offices that could alert them of what was being printed.
“(Slusser) testified in February of 2017 that a Madison county employee by the name of Doug Hulme bragged about having evidence of circuit judge using county resources for political fundraising,” a search warrant complaint from the investigation read. “When Slusser confronted Hulme on how he obtained this evidence, he alluded that they have access to everyone’s emails.”
Slusser also testified that Hulme had told him he wanted GPS devices put on all county vehicles so Dorman could monitor them.
There also were accusations of intimidation, according to investigation documents.
Through an affidavit, Ciampoli testified about “improper activity” by Dorman, who she said interfered when she tried to file a petition to run for precinct committeeman, an office for which Dorman’s father was also running.
She said during one encounter, Dorman attempted to swipe filing paperwork from the clerk’s hands. According to the unsealed documents, investigators believed video surveillance footage corroborated that accusation.
This story was originally published August 24, 2020 at 1:52 PM.