Another FBI Raid!

Federal agents raid McCook, Lyons village halls as part of criminal investigation

Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski is the mayor of the small, southwest suburb of McCook, but it’s unclear if the ongoing criminal investigation is tied to him.

By Mark Brown, Jon Seidel, and Rachel Hinton Sep 26, 2019, 12:43pm CDT

Cook County Commissioner and McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski Sun-Times file photo


Federal agents on Thursday raided the village halls of southwest suburban McCook and Lyons as well as other locations as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, sources said.

In a scene that has become familiar in recent months, agents arrived shortly before McCook offices opened for the day and left hours later carrying boxes of documents and computer equipment, sources said.

“I can confirm that they were here,” said the McCook village employee, who said she was not in a position to answer additional questions. The investigation also includes agents from IRS Criminal Investigation.

The mayor of McCook is Jeff Tobolski, who also serves as a Cook County commissioner. Phone calls to Tobolski’s offices went directly to voicemail.

Tobolski did not attend the Cook County board meeting on Thursday. Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle said he was out sick.

It’s unclear if the ongoing investigation is tied to Tobolski.

Carlos Aparicio, a lawyer on Tobolski’s Cook County staff, said federal agents hadn’t visited the McCook mayor’s county offices, but that’s all he really knew.

“I’m not sure exactly what’s going on,” Aparicio said. “He did call [this morning] and said he was out sick.”

News of the raid slowly made its way to commissioners.

“I had no idea — you just broke the news to me,” Commissioner Stanley Moore, D-Chicago, said Thursday afternoon. “I’m surprised. Nobody wants anything bad to happen to anybody.”

On Tuesday, federal agents executed search warrants on the offices and home of state Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago). Sandoval’s district includes McCook and Lyons.

Over the years, Tobolski has faced criticism for his hiring practices in the tiny town, which has about 200 people. He has hired numerous family members for village jobs and in 2010 he hired one of his political volunteers and an ex-Cook County employee who pleaded guilty in 2007 to official misconduct and bribery for conning a woman into a sex act in return for a nonexistent government job. The man, Felice “Phil” Vanaria, got a part-time job at the village-owned indoor gym.

Village Hall in west suburban McCook. Google Streetview