WOODLAWN — Ald. Willie Cochran took to social media Wednesday to strike back against allegations that he had misused campaign funds.
Cochran is under federal investigation for paying himself $150,000 from his campaign fund over a three-year period, according to a Tuesday night report from the Sun-Times.
Cochran did not respond to requests for comment, but on Wednesday morning headed to City Hall for budget hearings.
He took to Facebook early Wednesday morning to decry the allegations that he paid himself money from his 2015 campaign where he secured a third term as alderman of the 20th Ward.
“First I want to say It is legal to do so,” Cochran posted on Facebook at 4:45 a.m. Wednesday. “Second, I will say it has been brought to my attention [that] errors were made in my report to the state board by not detailing the end user of the funds I had withdrawn.”
Illinois law allows candidates to pay themselves or family members only for “services actually rendered by that person.”
Cochran called the payments to himself a “bookkeeping error” and said the money was actually used to pay Election Day workers and for field operations.
“This of course is supported with documentation,” Cochran said. “Afterwards it will reduce those amounts that show me as the sole receiver and include the purpose of the fund uses.”
He said he will be filing more amendments to reports on his campaign spending with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
A spokesman for the FBI said he could not confirm the Sun-Times' anonymous source claiming Cochran was under investigation.
“We do not comment on any investigation that we may or may not be investigating until charges have been filed or someone has been arrested,” said Garrett Croon, spokesman for the FBI.
After an Oct. 8 news story that Cochran had misused campaign money, Cochran also took to Facebook to claim that the allegations were an attempt to slander and entrap him.
“And a message to the haters, this job doesn't define me,” Cochran posted on Oct. 9 in response to the allegations. “I was successful before and will be even more successful in the future.”
James Tenuto, assistant executive director for the Illinois State Board of Elections, said the agency does not comment when there is a pending investigation.
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