When a top ally of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner abruptly resigned this summer blaming fraudulent social media accounts and politics getting “too ugly,” there was much head-scratching, eyebrow-raising and theorizing among the Capitol crowd.
Then-state Rep. Ron Sandack was a firebrand on the House floor unafraid to tear into what he perceived as shortcomings of Democratic leadership and Speaker Michael Madigan, so the departure was unexpected.
Those wondering what the heck happened got some answers Friday, courtesy of a police report and mea culpa statement from Sandack himself: He left amid an extortion scam in which he twice wired money to the Philippines after engaging in “inappropriate online conversations” with a woman who contacted him on Facebook.
The fake social media accounts popped up after Sandack accepted a friend request and exchanged several messages on Facebook with an unknown woman, who later demanded money.
“This past July, I was the target of an international crime ring focusing on high-profile individuals luring them to engage in inappropriate online conversations with the intent of extortion,” Sandack said in a statement released Friday. “I took their bait and fell for it hook, line and sinker.”
Sandack’s disclosure came roughly an hour after Downers Grove police released a redacted report about the case after ending an investigation into the matter this week. Police said no charges were forthcoming because the offender is in the Philippines, where the case has been referred to local authorities.
According to the police report, Sandack said the scam began on July 7 after he received a friend request from an unknown woman on Facebook. They exchanged a few messages, but Sandack did not hear from her again until July 12, when they messaged for about three hours that afternoon. Toward the end of that conversation, Sandack indicated he was using his computer at work in St. Charles, where he is a partner in a law firm.
Shortly after, the woman called him on Skype. Sandack told police the woman was in her early 20s with long black hair and her appearance did not match the photos attached to the Skype and Facebook accounts. The next morning, she sent a message making an unspecified demand, which resulted in Sandack wiring money to the Philippines via Western Union later that day.
The specific demand, and the amount of money Sandack sent, were redacted from the report that Downers Grove police released Friday in response to an earlier public records request. On July 14, Sandack was contacted again with demands for more money.
The lawmaker told police he initially ignored the request until he was alerted that several fraudulent social media profiles were created in his name, at which point he contacted Facebook to shut down the pages. He again sent an unknown amount of money, this time via MoneyGram, before walking into the Police Department to file a report later that evening.
Sandack temporarily turned over a laptop to police, saying he needed it for court the following day. He also provided screen shots of conversations with the woman, exchanges that were also blacked out in the report.
Sandack announced his resignation from office on July 24, saying “cybersecurity issues” made him re-evaluate continued public service. The next day, he told the Tribune that he stepped down because politics is getting “too ugly.” Asked then if any compromising information was accessed before he deleted his social media accounts, Sandack said “no.”
On Friday, Sandack said the matter was not related to his position and the laptop was not state property.
“Poor decisions on my part enabled me to be a victim and, as a responsible citizen, I reported it and have been working with the police throughout their investigation,” Sandack said. “I’m human. I made a mistake for which I am remorseful and ashamed, especially because I have hurt my family, and there is no greater self-inflicted wound than that.”
Sandack is married and has two children. Before joining the General Assembly, he served as mayor of Downers Grove. The six-year lawmaker was an outspoken defender of the governor, serving as Rauner’s floor leader where he was well-known for his passionate debates with Democrats across the aisle.
He often continued those arguments online through his Facebook and Twitter accounts, and even appeared in a segment on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” where he said Democrats were to blame for Illinois’ budget impasse.
Sandack first joined the Legislature in 2010 when he was appointed to fill the Senate seat of Dan Cronin, who stepped down to serve as DuPage County Board chairman. Sandack moved to the House in 2013 and was up for re-election Nov. 8 against Democratic attorney Greg Hose, also of Downers Grove.
David Olsen, a Downers Grove Republican and College of DuPage board member, has since been appointed to fill Sandack’s seat in the Illinois House and take his spot on the ballot.
A Rauner spokesman declined to comment Friday. The governor has declined to weigh in on Sandack’s departure — a sharp contrast to the kind words he offered former Sen. Matt Murphy, another top ally who recently announced his resignation to join a public affairs firm.
Sandack is not the first DuPage County politician to become embroiled in controversy over inappropriate online activity. In 2013, the former police chief of Villa Park lost his bid to become mayor after he acknowledged that photos that surfaced on an Internet sex site, of a man staring into a webcam and of exposed genitals, were of him, prompting the candidate to apologize to his family and supporters.
mcgarcia@chicagotribune.com
jmahr@chicagotribune.com
