Feds subpoena more NRI records from Quinn administration

SPRINGFIELD — Another state agency has been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury seeking records related to Gov. Pat Quinn’s failed 2010 Neighborhood Recovery Initiative.

The state Criminal Justice Information Authority received an Aug. 27 subpoena seeking all “original documents, records, memos, notes, invoices, records of payments, personnel files, time sheets, budgets and correspondence pertaining to: Illinois Violence Prevention Authority.”

The subpoena delivered to the Criminal Justice Information Authority’s Chicago office also said the records should include “all documents received by the Illinois Criminal justice information Authority when it took control of the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority.”

The move marks the first time a federal grand jury in Chicago has shown signs of investigating Quinn’s signature, election-year anti-violence grant program.

A federal grand jury in Springfield also has sought records related to the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative, including a late July subpoena for emails from former Quinn chief of staff Jack Lavin.

Cristin Evans, a spokeswoman for the Criminal Justice Information Authority, called the new subpoena a “formality” since the same information had been sought by the Cook County’s state’s attorney’s office.

“I’m told it was delivered as a formality as the records had been or were being received from Cook County. If you’ll recall, the Cook County state’s attorney’s office first had possession of the files and that the Central District subpoenaed and received from them,” she said. “They were returned to [Cook County] and now the Northern District has them. The requirements of the subpoena have been fulfilled.”