Will County veterans commission investigating $495,000 expenditure

The Veterans Assistance Commission of Will County has hired an attorney to investigate whether $495,000 in federal COVID-19 relief money was properly spent with a marketing firm that got the business without a bidding process.

The matter will be addressed with a brief statement at the VAC board meeting on Tuesday, board President Jack Picciolo said.

“It’s not going to be an open discussion,” Picciolo said.

The board meets at 5 p.m. at the Will County Office Building, 302 N. Chicago St.

Picciolo said the board wants to get to the bottom of what has become the subject of a statewide rumor mill questioning how the money was spent by former VAC Superintendent Kristina McNichol with a firm run by a friend of hers.

“There’s a lot of innuendo out there, but there are no charges,” Picciolo said. “There’s no proof that anything illegal has been done.”

A firm called Hey G! Consulting run by Geriann Wiesbrook got the contract.

McNichol and Wiesbrook did not return calls seeking comment.

Picciolo said Wiesbrook and McNichol were friends but added that Wiesbrook is very active as a veterans advocate and pointed to her organization Military Mamas. He also said that the VAC was advised that a bidding process was not required for the contract.

The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office, which serves as attorney for the VAC, has advised that the expenditure was legal.

But Picciolo said the VAC, which oversees the spending of money by the commission, hired an outside attorney to do an investigation because of persistent allegations of misspending that have been spread to veterans groups across the state by unknown sources.

“There are too many people making accusations,” he said. “I don’t believe she (McNichol) did anything wrong. But the board had to get a lawyer because they’re claiming we didn’t do our job. I’m hoping we get an end to this one way or the other and get on with our work.”

Attorney Paul O’Grady with the Chicago firm Peterson Johnson Murray confirmed that he has been hired by the VAC but said he could not discuss his investigation publicly.

“We’re at the very early stages,” O’Grady said.

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant said the $495,000 was COVID-19 relief money provided by the federal government and allocated by the county to the VAC.

“They were allocated the money for marketing purposes, and that was to engage the public again after COVID closed them down,” Bertino-Tarrant said.

Bertino-Tarrant said she called the state’s attorney’s office about how the VAC spent the money after fielding an inquiry from a constituent on the matter.

“I was informed that they were fine,” she said.