FBI agents raid village hall offices in Lyons, McCook and Summit
CHICAGO - In early morning raids, the feds struck three suburbs, taking village halls by surprise.
The FBI will not say what or whom they are investigating. But these are just the latest strikes against the halls of government.
There were three strikes Thursday in the southwest suburbs. The FBI surprised village halls in Lyons, McCook and Summit.
“I don’t know what they have but I hope it’s something good and now it’s time to get some people in office who will work for constituents and not themselves,” said Lyons resident Earl Johnson.
One person who seems key is the mayor of Lyons -- Christopher Getty. The FBI says agents were at Getty insurance, which is the mayor’s family business -- which was also closed for the day.
The FBI also raided the Lyons Village Hall, conducting what they call an authorized law enforcement action.
They did the same about a mile away in McCook. The mayor of this tiny village has pretty big sway. Jeff Tobolski is also a Cook County commissioner but was said to be out sick from Thursday’s county board meeting.
In nearby Summit, the feds did not barge in. Instead, they conducted more low-key “investigative activity.”
For those who have watched politicians in Lyons and nearby suburbs, this did not come as a big surprise.
“In this case, they raided two village halls which are right next to each other. One where the mayor is a Cook County Commissioner and another mayor who is an emerging power broker in the southwest suburbs and they raided his personal business. It’s a big day in southwest suburban politics and Cook County politics,” said Better Government Association reporter Casey Toner.
In a story earlier this year, the BGA and FOX 32’s Dane Placko investigated the mayor of Lyons.
“What we found in our last story is that this is a story of Chicago-style politics in a small town where campaign contributors and politicians are making cozy deals,” the BGA said.
Thursday’s strikes come just days after the FBI raided the Cicero home and government offices of State Senator Martin Sandoval. His district covers Lyons, McCook and Summit.