U.S. Department
of Justice
Former Washington Park Street Superintendant Sentenced To Prison For Forging Village Check
Douglas T. Knowles, 37, of Washington Park, Illinois, was sentenced to 3 months in federal prison, followed by 6 months of home detention and three years of supervised release for the offense of uttering a forged check of the Village of Washington Park, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.
In December 2012, Knowles, who was a public works/street superintendent for the Village of Washington Park, purchased and picked up a gas range from Gil Klein TV & Appliance, Inc., a/k/a Klein’s Brand Source, in Fairview Heights. Knowles presented a Village of Washington Park check purported to be signed by the Mayor of Washington Park for payment. It was later learned that Knowles forged the endorsement of the Mayor and used the gas range for his private residence.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service/Criminal Investigations as part of the Metro East Public Corruption Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Norman R. Smith.