Federal court sentences former associate clerk of Cook County Circuit Court to two years in federal prison
Beena Patel, a former clerk in the Office of Clerk of Cook County’s Circuit Court, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison in the case of lying in front of a grand jury. Patel was convicted earlier this year. According to the court documents, Patel was found guilty on the charges of making false declarations before a grand jury.
Sara L. Ellis, a US District Judge, sentenced Patel to two years in federal prison today. John R. Lausch, Jr., the US attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Patrick M. Blanchard, the Inspector General of Cook County, and Emmerson Buie, the special agent-in-charge of FBI’s Chicago office, announced the sentence of Patel.
A grand jury was conducted for investigating the criminal violations in the Clerk’s office of the Cook County Circuit Court. The violations were associated with the purchasing of jobs and promotions. Heather McShain and Ankur Srivastava, the assistant US attorneys, argued in the court during the sentencing hearing, “The lie of defendant violate the solemn oath, to tell the truth, and also impede the grand jury’s ability to gather truth.”
According to the evidence, Patel was involved in selling campaign fundraiser tickets on behalf of the Office of Clerk. Patel denied the sale of tickets when asked by the grand jury on October 15, 2015. The jury found that Patel made false statements during the trial. The trial also revealed that Patel made two other false statements in other matters.
According to the evidence, Patel denied contacting the Chief of Staff of the Clerk’s Office regarding a promotion opportunity for an employee of the Clerk’s Office. Although she contacted the chief regarding the promotion of an employee. The employee’s brother donated $10000 to a campaign of the Office of Clerk. Patel has been sentenced to 2 years in federal prison on the charges of making false statements before a grand jury.
