A Waukegan candidate in the Democratic primary for the Lake County Board once faced fraud charges for allegedly providing legal advice to immigrants without a law license.
According to a 2003 Chicago Tribune article, Lucilia "Lucy" Rios was charged with two counts of fraud in a case filed by the Illinois Attorney General. Rios also faced a charge of violating the Illinois Immigration Services Rule, which requires registration with the attorney general as an immigration services provider before going into business.
Running in Lake County’s 2nd District, which includes portions of Waukegan, Gurnee, Beach Park and Zion, Rios is challenging incumbent board member Diane Hewitt (D-Waukegan), who has been on the board for more than a decade.
Lake County Board member Diane Hewitt (D-Waukegan)
| https://www.lakecountyil.gov/
A search of public records also reveals that Rios has a bankruptcy record from 2015 and was slapped with a $169,334.95 judgment stemming from a 2014 foreclosure. Meanwhile, Hewitt has stressed how being an effective board member requires sound financial judgment.
“Fiscal responsibility is so important so we can provide the much-needed services that our residents deserve, like transportation and roads, our Health Department and workforce development while finding ways to lower the tax burden that our residents face by living in Lake County,” she said. “I think any candidate should take fiscal responsibility and accountability very seriously.”
The primary election is on Tuesday, March 17, with the winner advancing to November’s General Election, which presently has no other candidates on the ballot.
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