Lake County's state Rep. Tom Weber joined 10 fellow House Republicans in forcing a rare legislative accountability probe in Springfield after a six-term lawmaker was indicted on federal corruption charges carrying up to 20 years in prison per count.

Weber, a Republican representing the 64th House District, was among 11 GOP members who filed a petition under House Rule 91 to compel the creation of a Special Investigating Committee targeting Rep. Carol Ammons, a Democrat from Urbana. The 64th District covers northern Lake County communities including Antioch, Fox Lake, Lake Villa, and Volo. Weber discussed the committee's purpose in a Fox 32 interview around July 15, describing the petition as a mechanism to review misconduct allegations against Ammons.

The committee is already operational. House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch named its six members on Thursday, July 10, appointing Rep. Curtis Tarver of Chicago as chair. Three Democrats and three Republicans serve on the panel, which holds subpoena power at the discretion of its chair and the speaker. Its investigation could result in disciplinary action decided by the full House.

What Ammons is accused of

A federal grand jury in central Illinois indicted Ammons on Wednesday, July 8, on eight counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, and one count of making a false statement to a federal agent. Her husband, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, faces conspiracy to obstruct justice and a separate obstruction charge.

The indictment alleges Ammons devised a scheme dating back to 2017 to defraud the state by directing state and federal funds to organizations that then paid her daughter. Ammons and her daughter "received financial benefits in excess of $100,000," according to the indictment as reported by the Chicago Tribune.

Each wire fraud count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, as do the conspiracy and obstruction charges. The false statement charge carries up to five years, U.S. Attorney Eugene Miller said.

Both Carol and Aaron Ammons pleaded not guilty on Thursday, July 16, before U.S. District Judge Eric Long in Urbana.

Swift action in Springfield

Speaker Welch stripped Ammons of her legislative committee assignments, including her chairmanship of the Energy & Environment Committee, and barred her from House Democratic Caucus meetings on Wednesday, July 9, the day after the indictment.

The 11 Republican signatories represented nearly four times the number required under House rules to force the committee's creation. The last time Republicans used this mechanism was in 2020, when they triggered a special committee to investigate then-Speaker Michael Madigan after he was implicated in a federal investigation involving ComEd.

House GOP Leader Tony McCombie said in a July 10 statement: "The courts should absolutely do their job, but the Illinois House has a responsibility to do ours. Accountability in the legislature cannot be outsourced to the criminal justice system."

What's next

U.S. District Judge Long proposed a trial starting Tuesday, September 22, with pretrial video conferences scheduled for Monday, August 24. Ammons' attorney, Mutaqee Akbar, said on July 16 that he hoped the special investigative process could be postponed to focus on "due process rights in the courthouse."

No date has been announced for the Special Investigating Committee's first hearing.