A former supervisor for the U.S. Customs Service at O’Hare International Airport was charged Tuesday in federal court with improperly helping a foreign national illegally enter the county.
Patrick A. Noonan, 56, who retired recently after 28 years as a customs inspector, will soon plead guilty to the one-count charge, according to his lawyer, Kenneth Cunniff.
Cunniff said that as a favor to a friend, Noonan helped an Irish citizen named William J.M. Rushe get through customs at O’Hare in September 1996 even though he knew Rushe was barred from entering the country. During a previous stay in the U.S., Rushe violated a visitor’s visa by getting a job and remaining for more than a year, authorities said.
Cherise Miles, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Customs Service, said Noonan had supervised inspectors, handled passenger complaints and facilitated the arrival of dignitaries for about 10 years at O’Hare. The Palos Hills resident was placed on paid administrative leave last October and retired June 1, she said.
