Illinois lawmaker accepted campaign money from adult entertainment club

An Illinois lawmaker is donating nearly two thousand dollars in campaign cash after her opponent discovered it came from an adult entertainment club.

Democratic State Representative Lisa Hernandez says she didn't know the nature of the business.

But Democratic State Representative candidate Robert Reyes is making sure everyone knows about it.

On Thursday, his campaign mailed out seven thousand postcards tying his opponent, longtime Democratic Representative Lisa Hernandez of Cicero, to what he calls a suburban sex club.

"That's not the type of leadership we deserve. Those are not the values our families share in the community,” Reyes said.

State records show that since 2012, Representative Hernandez has received $1850 from the All-star Bar and Grill, located in southwest suburban McCook.

While it sounds like a sports bar, multiple reviews on Yelp, Google and other social media say it's also a lingerie club where scantily-clad women perform lap dances, including sexual touching.

"If you want to run a campaign, if you're going to go out and look for support, I believe it should be from people who are not involved in sex clubs, strip clubs or whatever people would like to call it,” Reyes said.

In a statement, Hernandez says she's spent her career "standing up for women" and calls the accusations "smear tactics."

But she also says: "....the donations in question were made by a retired Cicero police officer, who is a co-owner of the bar. When the nature of this specific business was brought to my attention, I decided to donate these contributions to an organization that helps women dealing with these types of issues."

"I will point out that she's the only state representative in the state of Illinois to receive money from such an institution,” Reyes said.

FOX 32 contacted the bar and told them about the campaign allegations and so far we have not received a response. Hernandez says she will donate the $1850 to a Hispanic women's group by Friday.