CHICAGO — Nearly 50 deputies and supervisors at Cook County's largest courthouse are in trouble after coming to work late and leaving early while still getting paid, Sheriff Tom Dart announced Friday afternoon.
The 48 workers at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, 2650 S. California Ave., now face either termination or suspension.
In a news release, Dart's office said the internal probe was "an extensive, months-long investigation into time fraud by Cook County Sheriff’s deputies and supervisors."
It found that employees assigned to the weekend shift at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse often arrived late to work and left the building for periods of time while still being paid, Dart's office said.
In the most "egregious" cases involving 11 deputies and two supervisors who collectively billed 85 hours of fraudulent time, Dart is moving to have people fired, he said.
Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office is issuing suspensions ranging from 15 to 60 days for the remaining 27 deputies and eight supervisors.
The supervisors are also being disciplined for failure to supervise their subordinates.
