Will County Board member Jacqueline Traynere was found guilty Monday on two counts of computer tampering, both misdemeanors, and not guilty of a third count of computer tampering after a 2024 incident in which she accessed a member of the opposing party’s email without permission.
Judge Derek Ewanic rendered his verdict after a two-day bench trial last week.
The charges stemmed from March 2024 when Traynere, a Bolingbrook Democrat, went into the email of board member Judy Ogalla, a Monee Republican, who was the County Board chair at the time.
Traynere testified last week she was testing a rumor she heard at the county office building the day before that all board members had the same email password when they were issued new computers.
During the trial, Ogalla testified she never authorized Traynere to enter her email account.
Traynere said she never expected Ogalla’s email to open when she entered her own password. She testified she closed the email after about 10 seconds and contacted the county’s Information Technology Department and the county executive to alert them to a security vulnerability. Later that day, Traynere called Ogalla to inform her about the incident.
After the verdict Monday, Traynere said she didn’t look at anything in Ogalla’s email when she opened it.
“I told Judy at the time this was not me trying to do anything malicious to her,” Traynere said.
Traynere’s attorneys contend she was “sounding the alarm” that all board members had the same email password.
William Elward, a special prosecutor in the case, argued that Traynere instead was “tripping an alarm.”
Elward said Traynere was using the email to gain a political advantage and learn what members of the opposing party were thinking. He argued that Traynere is sophisticated and intelligent but got caught sneaking around in someone else’s inbox.
Ewanic said he sided with the prosecution that Traynere tripped the alarm. He said there are 21 other board members, and Traynere accessed a rival party member’s inbox.
Ewanic likened the alarm to a “dumpster fire” in the county that was small and contained.
“I think that it’s good the judge looked at all the facts and made his decision based on the facts of the case,” Ogalla said Monday. “I know she intentionally (accessed the email), which is why I filed the police report.”
Traynere testified last week she believed she had logged out of Ogalla’s account and was opening her own email when she forwarded an email from County Board member Steve Balich, a Homer Glen Republican.
In finding her not guilty of this count, Ewanic said he believed that Traynere thought she was in her own account when she forwarded that email.
Colin “CJ” Haney, Traynere’s attorney, said he plans to file a motion for a new trial. Sentencing is set for April 7.
Traynere said after the verdict that she is a “go-getter” and she gets things done. When she heard the rumor about the passwords, she sprung into action, she said.
“It was a bad judgement on my part,” Traynere said.
She said she was busy in her job as an administrator at DuPage Township and as a County Board member, and said she acted too quickly without thinking it through. She said it would have been better had she waited instead of testing the theory about the same passwords herself.
“I did sound the alarm when I sent the email to IT,” Traynere said. “This violates every IT rule there is.”
Traynere said she believes politics played a role in the judge’s decision, noting he is a Republican.
She said she is not a political rival of Ogalla’s since they are from two different districts and cannot run against one another in elections. Rather, they are two board members with differing viewpoints, Traynere said.
Traynere said she plans to ask for an audit of the county’s information technology system.
April 7 will also be the next court date for a pending traffic ticket.
Elward last year refiled a case that alleges Traynere failed to yield to a pedestrian crossing the roadway in March 2025. The original traffic case was dismissed last May after a complaining witness did not show up to court, records show.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter.
