WAUKEGAN, Ill. - A former Waukegan alderman has pleaded guilty to felony forgery and official misconduct charges after prosecutors said he concealed his status as an elected official on liquor and video gaming license applications.
Investigation into liquor, gaming applications
What we know:
Roudell Kirkwood, who represented Waukegan's 4th Ward from May 2019 to May 2023, agreed to a sentence of 24 months of conditional discharge in exchange for pleading guilty to three counts of forgery and one count of official misconduct, all Class 3 felonies.
Kirkwood was indicted by a Lake County grand jury on July 1, 2022, following an investigation by the Illinois State Police Statewide Gaming Command and the Illinois Gaming Board.
Investigators found that Kirkwood falsified liquor and video gaming license applications between 2019 and 2020 by failing to disclose that he was a member of the Waukegan City Council.
At the time, Kirkwood was president of Mac Dynasty Inc., which operated a Lake County restaurant with a bar and video gaming terminals.
The three forgery charges stemmed from applications submitted in 2019, including a June liquor license application to the city of Waukegan, a July video gaming location disclosure application to the Illinois Gaming Board and an October retailer application to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission.
The official misconduct charge involved Kirkwood's failure to disclose his elected position on a video gaming location disclosure application while serving as an alderman.
Former alderman sentenced
Dig deeper:
Under the plea agreement, Kirkwood received 24 months of conditional discharge, a form of release that requires compliance with court-ordered conditions but does not involve probation supervision.
He was also ordered to pay $1,169 in fines and assessments.
Kane County State's Attorney Jamie Mosser was appointed special prosecutor in the Lake County case. Assistant State's Attorneys Robert Dore and John Frank handled the prosecution.
Prosecutor responds to guilty plea
What they're saying:
Mosser said Kirkwood's actions violated the public's trust.
"Public officials are entrusted with serving their communities honestly and with integrity. By falsifying applications and concealing his status as an elected official, Mr. Kirkwood violated the public’s trust and undermined the standards expected of those who hold public office," Mosser said. "Public officials must be held to the highest standards of honesty and accountability, and no one is above the law."
Mosser also thanked prosecutors and state investigators for their work on the case.
The Source: The information was provided in a news release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.