The manager of an Illinois driver’s license facility who admitted to selling as many as 40 phony licenses to people who otherwise would be denied them was sentenced Wednesday to 3 years in prison.
Roger Walberg, 50, of Bensenville admitted his guilt soon after he was arrested on Feb. 4, 1998, accused of taking $150 to $300 in cash in exchange for each of the fake documents issued at the Illinois Secretary of State’s Lombard office.
At a sentencing hearing in Wheaton, Walberg’s attorneys admitted their client’s actions were illegal and immoral, but they claimed that most of the money he collected in the scam went to buy tickets for political fundraising events for then-Secretary of State George Ryan, who was elected governor in November.
“The money was used for political purposes,” said lawyer Terry Gillespie. “There is no excuse that the money went for tickets.”
Neal Thompson, supervisor of the DuPage County state’s attorney public integrity unit, estimated that, over a 10-month span beginning in April 1997, Walberg received between $7,000 and $12,000 for selling between 25 and 40 phony licenses.
“He was ready, willing and able to sell driver’s licenses to people with drunk-driving records or other criminal pasts that should have denied them licenses,” Thompson said.
The scheme began when Walberg, a part-time truck driver and Addison Township Republican precinct committeeman, met Hammand Ali, 36, of Oak Forest. Ali eventually approached Walberg about using his state position to issue licenses for people that Ali brought to him.
After getting wind of the scheme in late 1997, county and state investigators set up a sting where an undercover police officer would approach Ali about getting a phony license through Walberg.
Ali obtained a license for another undercover cop, as well as a Chicago Ridge man with an extensive criminal past in February 1998. As the licenses were issued, Walberg, Ali and the third man were arrested.
Paul DeLuca, another Walberg attorney, said that, shortly after Walberg’s arrest, he cooperated with law enforcement officials. Walberg went through state records looking for names of phony drivers, testified at Ali’s trial and cooperated with federal attorneys who were continuing an investigation into suspected illegal activities at other area driver’s license facilities.
“There has been a hint that this money went into fundraising, but that’s not a good reason, just maybe an explanation,” said DeLuca.
According to DeLuca, Walberg claims that the “great majority of the cash” he received in the scam went to purchase Ryan fundraising tickets.
DeLuca conceded, however, that nobody ordered Walberg to take the bribe, “but it is assumed that there is an unwritten rule or pressure to sell tickets.”
Ryan has said no undue pressure had ever been placed on such employees, and he has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
At sentencing DuPage Judge George Bakalis acknowledged that Walberg did the correct thing in cooperating with authorities, but criticized Walberg because of his public position.
“Ali was a conniver, but he needed a person in authority,” Bakalis said. “It is difficult to understand the compulsion and very unfortunate that a political office makes employees feel the need to buy tickets. I don’t know if that is the case, but if that is true, it is a real problem with the system. People can’t be allowed to think the public can be bought off.”
Walberg expressed remorse in his remarks to the judge. “There is no excuse for what I did,” he said. “There is no way to rectify or undo it.”
On Tuesday, Bakalis sentenced Ali to a 3-year prison term, the same sentence the Chicago Ridge man had earlier received.
Walberg has served as Bensenville’s representative on the Northwest Mass Transit District board. His wife, Peggy, is a Bensenville trustee.
Bensenville Village President John Geils testified as a character witness for Walberg at the sentencing hearing.
