Former 1st Ward Ald. Proco “Joe” Moreno landed in Cook County Jail Thursday after a judge ordered he be held behind bars for violating his bail in a pending felony case.
Judge William Hooks revoked Moreno’s bond after prosecutors said the ex-alderman violated condition of his bond in an ongoing fraud case by picking up misdemeanor DUI charges last month, court records show.
During a live-streamed hearing, prosecutors asked Hooks to set stricter conditions for Moreno’s bond, including substance abuse monitoring, curfew and an order that would prohibit Moreno from driving.
Hooks went beyond that, and ordered Moreno to report to jail by 3 p.m. Thursday, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors said.
The sheriff’s office said Moreno turned himself in to deputies about 3 p.m. at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse and was escorted to intake and processing ahead of being booked into the jail.
Moreno asked to be placed in protective custody and his request was being honored, a sheriff’s spokesman said.
Moreno was charged with insurance fraud, disorderly conduct, obstruction of justice and filing a false police report in May 2019 — three months after losing his seat on the City Council. Moreno loaned his car to a woman he had dated in January and then filed a police report, saying that the car was stolen, prosecutors said at the time.
The woman, Liliya Hrabar, was then arrested when she was found driving the vehicle and charged with a misdemeanor. The charge was later dropped.
Moreno was released on his on recognizance. He was scheduled to appear in front of Hooks for a hearing in that case later this month before he allegedly crashed into several parked vehicles and a tree in the 1200 block of North Astor Street on Dec. 27.
Moreno, 48, was charged with two counts of driving under the influence, one count of reckless driving and five counts of failing to report damage to an unattended vehicle.
Prosecutors filed the petition for a violation of bond against Moreno on Dec. 31, court records show.
Moreno is expected back in court for his felony case on Jan. 15. Next month, he’ll be back in court for his misdemeanor charges.
