EAST ST. LOUIS – U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft announced today that Jay A. Cobb, 57, of Cahokia, Illinois, formerly a police officer with the Village of Alorton Police Department, was charged in a one-count Indictment with “Obtaining Funds by Fraud from the City of Alorton Police Department, a Unit of a Government that Received Federal Funds.”
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Weinhoeft said the indictment alleges that Cobb falsified time records for the period of January 2020 through April 2021 and acknowledges that he obtained funds by fraud from May 2018 through April 2021 claiming to be working when he was out of the jurisdiction, usually at his residence in Cahokia, Illinois.
The Indictment alleges that there were approximately 654 hours where Cobb claimed he was working but he was outside the jurisdiction of the Village of Alorton causing a financial loss of approximately $9,815.
U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said, “The allegations in this indictment should reassure the public that allegations of police misconduct are investigated seriously; but the charges should not undermine the public’s confidence in law enforcement, which is overwhelmingly made up of good and decent public servants who risk their lives for our safety.”
Embezzling money from an organization that receives federal funds carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution.
An indictment is merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, the defendant is presumed to be innocent of the charges until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
The investigation was conducted by the Southern Illinois Public Corruption Task Force which consists of agents with the FBI and the Illinois State Police. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman R. Smith.
Citizens are encouraged to report suspicions of public corruption to the Southern Illinois Public Corruption Task Force Tip Line at (618) 589-7373.
