Dorothy Brown (politician)

Dorothy Ann Rabb Brown Cook,[1][2][3] also known as Dorothy Brown (born September 4, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician associated with the Democratic Party who served as the clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County from 2000 through 2020.

Dorothy Brown
Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County
In office
December 1, 2000 – December 1, 2020
Preceded byAurelia Pucinski
Succeeded byIris Martinez
Village Administrator of Dolton, Illinois
In office
October 2021 – December 2021
Personal details
Born
Dorothy Ann Brown

(1953-09-04) September 4, 1953
Minden, Louisiana, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Benton Cook
​
(m. 2009)​
Children1
EducationSouthern University (BS)
DePaul University (MBA)
Illinois Institute of Technology (JD)

She was an unsuccessful candidate for mayor of Chicago in the 2007 and 2019 elections, an unsuccessful candidate for Chicago city clerk in 1999, and an unsuccessful candidate for president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 2010.

Early life, family, and education

Brown grew up in Minden, Louisiana, one of eight children. Her father worked in the laundry room of the Louisiana Army Ammunitions Plant near Minden. He also owned a cotton farm in Athens, Louisiana, where Brown and her seven siblings helped him pick and chop cotton. Brown's mother worked as a cook and a domestic.

At Webster High School, Brown was captain of the girl's varsity basketball team, and graduated in the top ten percent of her class. Brown studied at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and graduated magna cum laude. In 1977, Brown received her license as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). In 1981, she received her Master of Business Administration (MBA) with honors from DePaul University in Chicago. In 1996, Brown received her J.D. degree with honors from Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Professional career

Brown worked for Arthur Andersen and Commonwealth Edison as a certified public accountant.[4] She also helped to start a minority public accounting firm. From 1991 to 2000, Brown worked as the general auditor for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).[5]

Brown unsuccessfully ran for Treasurer of the City of Chicago in 1999, losing to incumbent Miriam Santos by a 2.8% margin.[5]

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County (2000–2020)
Brown in 2008

Cook County voters elected Brown as the Clerk of the Circuit Court in 2000, and reelected her four additional times. Brown served for 20 years and retired in 2020. As the official keeper of records for all judicial matters brought into one of the largest unified court systems in the world, Brown was responsible for managing an annual operating budget of more than $100 million and had a workforce of over 1,800 employees. In 2014 the Chicago Sun-Times described the Clerk's office as "a 2,300-employee office, one of the last true bastions of political patronage in Illinois".[6]

Major projects and services developed under Brown's leadership include: Two Electronic filing (e-filing),[7] a Clerk of the Circuit Court mobile app: "Court Clerk Mobile Connect,"[8] an Online Traffic Ticket Payment System,[9] an Electronic Tickets (eTickets) system, Mortgage Surplus Search,[10][11] SmartForms (Online Order of Protection service), Smart Kiosks (court information terminals), and IDMS (Imaging Document Management System).[12]

In 2012, during Brown's third reelection campaign, the Chicago Tribune editorial board declined to endorse any candidate, citing "Brown's years of failed assurances to modernize the obsolete, paper-choked office she heads."[13]

In August 2015, the slating committee of the Cook County Democratic Party narrowly voted to endorse Brown for reelection to a fifth term in the March 2016 primary elections.[14][15] In early October 2015, the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at Brown's home and seized her County-issued cell phone.[16][17] Chicago attorney Ed Genson represented Brown.[16] On October 23, 2015 the Cook County Democratic Party withdrew its endorsement of Brown, and endorsed Michelle A. Harris.[18][19][20]

Both the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune declined to endorse Brown or her opponent in the 2016 campaign. Brown went on to win both the Democratic primary and the general election, being reelected for a fifth term.

Beginning in August 2018, a federally-ordered monitor was appointed under to audit the hiring and employment practices of Brown's office in an effort to monitor the office's compliance with the Shakman Decrees.[21] This federal oversight of the office's hiring and employment practices would not cease until November 2022, during the tenure of Brown's successor.[22]

In August 2019, Brown announced that she would not seek reelection to a sixth term in 2020.[23]

Ethics, criticisms and controversies

Brown accepted cash gifts on her birthday and Christmas from her employees.[24][25] In 2008 Brown announced that she would no longer accept the gifts after questions arose regarding how she claimed the items.[26][27][6]

In May 2006, Brown chaired the host committee for a Chicago fund raiser to support the reelection of Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans, Louisiana. Information technology contractor Mark St. Pierre, who had worked contracts for both the city of New Orleans and Cook County government and contributed to both Brown and Nagin's political campaigns, organized the event. Nagin was indicted on corruption charges on January 18, 2013, with the fundraiser being cited in the indictment.[28][29][30][31] He was convicted in 2014.

In January 2010, the Inspector General of Cook County investigated Brown's "Jeans Day" program, in which Clerk's office employees could donate cash to the Jeans Day fund and wear casual clothing to work on a Friday. The Jeans Day fund, which grew to over $300,000, was supposed to be used to fund employee morale activities and charities. The Inspector General's report documented expenditures unrelated to charitable causes, including Chicago Bulls tickets, Six Flags Great America tickets, and employee parking reimbursements. The Inspector General's report cleared Brown's office of wrongdoing, but advised Brown provide better controls. Brown discontinued Jeans Day in August 2010.[32][33][34][35][36]

In June 2011, a contributor to Brown's political campaigns gave a commercial property at the intersection of Pulaski, Ogden and Cermak Avenues on Chicago's southwest side to Brown's husband. Two months later, the deed was transferred to The Sankofa Group, L. L. C., Brown and her husband's for-profit consulting firm, and in November 2011 The Sankofa Group sold the property for $100,000.[6][37][38] The Cook County Inspector General and by a grand jury convened by prosecutors with the Cook County State's Attorney's office opened an investigation of the land deal.[39][40][41][42][43]

In 2013, it was reported that a campaign donor had given Brown's husband a parcel of land for $1. Brown's name was later added to paperwork and Sankofa Group (a private entity once registered to Brown's home) ended up on the title. Brown and her husband sold the land for $100,000. Brown did not disclose the land as a gift or donation on state economic interest forms.[44]

In November 2015, a federal indictment alleged that a clerk's office employee had been rehired by the Clerk's office weeks after lending $15,000 to a company controlled by Brown's husband, then lied to a federal grand jury about the incident.[45][46] The employee pleaded guilty in 2016, and the "going rate" for a job in the office may have been $10,000.[47]

In 2018, a federal probe detailed accounts of alleged job-buying in Brown's office.[48]

In March 2019, a federal indictment charged Donald Danagher with bribery, alleging a pay-for-contract scheme which involved making donations to Brown's campaign and scholarship funds in exchange for his debt collection business receiving a contract.[49][50][51]

On April 26, 2019, a jury convicted former Brown aide Beena Patel, who had supervised approximately 500 employees in the clerk's office, of perjury concerning her federal grand jury testimony in 2015 and 2016.[52] In November 2019, court documents evidenced that Patels perjury had protected Brown against prosecution.[53]

In late 2019, Brown's office had a class-action lawsuit brought against it alleging that it had charged illegal fees to people seeking child support enforcement.[54]

In October 2021, Donald Donagher Jr., the former CEO of a debt-collection company, admitted in federal court that he had made payments to support a Women's History Month program run by Brown in an effort to reward Brown for business he believed she had directed to him.[55]

For much of her tenure, Brown was criticized for failing to provide stored records that had been requested in a timely fashion.[56]

Brown was criticized by advocacy groups who alleged a failure to sufficiently update the court system.[57][58] The court's case management system had been characterized as "archaic".[59][60] A partial update, first phased-in in November 2019, which digitized criminal courts filings, proved problematic. This update led to records it made available being often incomplete, and taking longer to be updated.[59][60] This proved so problematic that the court itself in October 2020 ordered that Brown halt its implementation.[60]

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown received criticism from courts clerks and the clerks' union, who argued she was not doing enough to protect them and the public amid the pandemic. Some clerks walked off the job.[61] She also had Legal Aid Chicago file a lawsuit against her in June 2020 accusing her office, during the pandemic, failing to provide domestic violence and sexual assault survivors with copies of their orders of protection immediately after they had been granted, which the office had a statutory duty to do. The lawsuit by Legal Aid Chicago further accused Brown's office of failing to transmit such orders top the Cook County Sheriff's Office in a timely fashion so that they could be entered into that office's Law Enforcement Agency Data System. The lawsuit argued that these alleged failures on the part of Brown's office endangered survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.[62][63] Also during the pandemic, Brown received criticism for failure to mail out the notices telling individuals that their court appearances would be conducted virtually in a timely fashion, with some notices having been mailed out after the date of the court appearances had already passed. When questioned by WGN-TV on this, Brown alleged that “unconscious racism” was at the root of both that story, and other negative stories reported on her during her tenure.[64] In November 2020, Brown was caught by WGN-TV holding a retirement party that appeared to possibly violate the city and state's 50-person limit on gatherings amid the pandemic.[65]

Pursuits of other office during tenure as clerk

Brown unsuccessfully ran mayor of Chicago in 2007.[66] She was the only established political figure challenging incumbent mayor Richard M. Daley. Brown failed to attract strong enough support from the African American community to mount a true challenge to Daley, and lagged severely behind Daley in terms of campaign funds.[67] She ultimately finished in second place out of three candidates, with 20.12% of the vote, 51 points behind Daley.[68]

Brown ran for president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 2010. At one point, she led the Democratic field in at Chicago Tribune poll. However, she ultimately lost the Democratic primary to Toni Preckwinkle, placing third out of four candidates, behind Preckwinkle and Terrence J. O'Brien. Brown received 14.45% of the vote.[6][69][70][71][72]

Despite the scandals she had faced, Brown attempted to run for mayor of Chicago in 2019, but was removed from the ballot for failing to complete the required paperwork.[73] Following her removal from the ballot, Brown endorsed Amara Enyia for mayor.[74] However, Enyia failed to qualify for the runoff election, which was won by Lori Lightfoot.

Activities after leaving office

After her successor as clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Iris Martinez, was critical of the shape of the office she inherited from Brown, on December 17, 2020, Brown released a three-page statement to WGN-TV which was highly critical of Martinez. Brown accused Martinez of refusing attempts she had made to assist Martinez's transition into office. Brown wrote that Martinez, "obviously does not have a plan or a clue how to run the office." Brown's statement also included comments which attacked Martinez for hiring Puerto Rican individuals to management, writing, "Iris Martinez's administration does not look the racial make-up of Cook County, but it looks like Puerto Rico". The statement also accused Martinez and her staff of, "showing disrespect to the American English language, and the English-speaking staff, by only communicating in Spanish, when non-Spanish speaking staff are present."[75]

In 2021, Brown led the transition team of Tiffany Heynard after Heynard was elected mayor of Dolton, Illinois.[76] From October 2021 until December 31, 2021, Brown served as village administrator of Dolton, having been appointed by Heynard, who considers Brown to be her mentor. The hiring of Brown to the six-figure position sparked criticism from several Dolton city trustees.[77][78]

Honors

In 2013, Brown was an honoree awarded at the "125 Alumni of Distinction Reception" held by the Chicago-Kent College of Law.[79] In 2021, Brown was inducted into Southern University's Black College Alumni Hall of Fame.[2] She has received professional achievement awards from both of these alma maters. Other honors that Brown has received include the Marks of Excellence Award from the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, the Women of Achievement Award from the Anti-Defamation League, and the Justinian Society of Lawyers Humanitarian Award.[80]

Electoral history
1999 Chicago City Treasurer election[81]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Miriam Santos (incumbent) 292,245 51.40
Nonpartisan Dorothy A. Brown 276,202 48.60
Total votes 568,447 100
2000 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Democratic primary[82]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dorothy A. Brown 222,906 48.54
Democratic Patrick J. Levar 126,642 27.57
Democratic Patricia Young 57,999 12.63
Democratic Joe Moore 51,707 11.26
Total votes 459,254 100
2000 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County election[83][84]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dorothy A. Brown 1,197,773 72.94
Republican Nancy F. Mynard 444,336 27.06
Total votes 1,642,109 100
2004 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Democratic primary[85][86]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dorothy A. Brown (incumbent) 479,438 74.52
Democratic Jerry Orbach 163,896 25.48
Total votes 643,334 100
2004 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County election[87][88]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dorothy A. Brown (incumbent) 1,365,285 74.06
Republican Judith A. Kleiderman 478,222 25.94
Total votes 1,843,507 100
2007 Chicago mayoral election[68]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Richard M. Daley (incumbent) 324,519 71.05
Nonpartisan Dorothy A. Brown 91,878 20.12
Nonpartisan William Walls 40,368 8.84
Total votes 456,765 100
2008 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Democratic primary[89][90]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dorothy A. Brown (incumbent) 833,795 100.00
Total votes 833,795 100
2008 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County election[91][92]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dorothy A. Brown (incumbent) 1,315,731 68.29
Republican Diane Shapiro 517,115 26.84
Green Paloma Andrade 93,906 4.87
Total votes 1,926,752 100
2010 President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Democratic primary[71][72]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Toni Preckwinkle 281,905 48.99
Democratic Terrence J. O'Brien 131,896 22.92
Democratic Dorothy A. Brown 83,150 14.45
Democratic Todd H. Stroger (incumbent) 78,532 13.65
Total votes 575,483 100
2012 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Democratic primary[93][94]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dorothy A. Brown (incumbent) 269,781 67.44
Democratic Ricardo Muñoz 130,221 32.56
Total votes 400,002 100
2012 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County election[95][96]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dorothy A. Brown (incumbent) 1,291,499 70.44
Republican Diane S. Shapiro 541,973 29.56
Total votes 1,833,472 100
2016 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Democratic primary[97]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dorothy A. Brown (incumbent) 477,503 47.27
Democratic Michelle A. Harris 307,392 30.43
Democratic Jacob Meister 221,921 21.97
Write-in Tio Hardiman 4 0.00
Write-in Others 3,247 0.32
Total votes 1,010,067 100
2016 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County election[98][99]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dorothy A. Brown (incumbent) 1,345,696 67.22
Republican Diane S. Shapiro 656,232 32.78
Total votes 2,001,928 100

Publications
  1. Brown, Dorothy (January 3, 2015). "A Year of Achievements Roll into a New Year of More Innovations in the Clerk's Office". The Chicago Defender. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  2. Brown, Dorothy (November 19, 2014). "eTickets remove some of the frustration of getting a traffic ticket". The Chicago Defender. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.

References
  1. "Dorothy Ann Brown Lawyer Profile on Martindale.com". www.martindale.com. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  2. "Alumna Dorothy Brown Cook inducted in National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame". Southern University and A&M College. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  3. Brown, Mark (31 August 2018). "Dorothy A. Brown Cook? Mayoral hopeful debuts new name for voters". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  4. Felsenthal, Carol (21 December 2011). "Why Dorothy Brown Wants Another Term as Circuit Court Clerk". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  5. Sjostrom, Joseph (February 7, 1999). "Treasurer Candidate Brown To Address City Club Of Chicago". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2012-12-22.
  6. Korecki, Natasha (May 9, 2014). "Dorothy Brown: 'A reformer gone wrong.'". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  7. Office of Cook County Clerk Dorothy Brown (June 2009). "Cook County is the Largest Court System to "Go Green" with E-Filing Pilot at No Cost to Taxpayers More than 1,000 Cook County Attorneys are Registered E-Filers". Tort Reporter. No. 10. The Tort Litigation Committee of The Chicago Bar Association. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  8. Office of Cook County Clerk Dorothy Brown (April 4, 2014). "A mobile app for court info, anywhere, any time". Chicago Defender. Cloud Computing Magazine.
  9. "Cook County does full launch of online traffic system". The Chicago Defender. August 20, 2009. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  10. Podmolik, Mary Ellen (August 25, 2011). "Cook Co. reaching out to those due money after property foreclosure". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  11. "Cook County: Foreclosure Fund Holds Millions In Unclaimed Taxpayer Money". Huffington Post. August 26, 2011.
  12. Campbell, Traci (December 18, 2009). "Cook County Circuit Court Imaging and Document Management System Goes Live!". Business Wire.
  13. "Choices for Cook County". Chicago Tribune. October 22, 2012. Retrieved 2014-05-20.
  14. Dardick, Hal (August 18, 2015). "Cook County Democrats fail to endorse in state's attorney race". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 29, 2016. The committee was able to make a recommendation for circuit court clerk, narrowly backing Dorothy Brown in her bid for reelection after calling 21st Ward Ald. Howard Brookins away from a lunch break and back into the room to put Brown over the top.
  15. Brown, Mark (August 19, 2015). "Cook County Dems stay neutral in U.S. Senate race". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015. Retrieved February 29, 2016. In a tight vote, Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown was endorsed over lawyer Jacob Meister, a gay rights activist who vowed to stay in the race.
  16. Meisner, Jason; Dardick, Hal (October 15, 2015). "FBI seizes Dorothy Brown's cellphone in probe of land deal". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 29, 2016. The FBI has seized the cellphone of Cook County Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown as part of an ongoing investigation into a 2011 land deal involving a longtime campaign contributor that netted Brown and her husband tens of thousands of dollars. Agents showed up at Brown's home last week armed with a search warrant for her phone, said attorney Edward Genson, who is representing Brown in the criminal investigation
  17. Herguth, Robert; Fusco, Chris; Placko, Dane (October 15, 2015). "Hiring, 'pay to play' focuses of Dorothy Brown probe". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved February 29, 2016. Those revelations come as federal agents visited Brown's South Side house last week and seized her county-issued cellphone.
  18. Byrne, John (October 23, 2015). "Clerk Brown vows to stay in race after Cook County Democrats yank backing". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 29, 2016. On Friday, Democratic leaders took away Brown's endorsement for an office that controls nearly 1,800 jobs and supported Ald. Michelle Harris, a loyal Democratic soldier who came up through the ranks of the vaunted 8th Ward organization once headed by the late John Stroger.
  19. Fusco, Chris; Herguth, Robert; Rehkamp, Patrick; Placko, Dane (October 23, 2015). "Dems drop support for Dorothy Brown, endorse Ald. Michelle Harris". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on January 2, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016. Cook County Democratic Party leaders on Friday withdrew their endorsement of Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown in the March 15 primary amid a federal corruption investigation, instead throwing their support to a newly announced candidate, Ald. Michelle Harris (8th).
  20. "Cook County Democratic Party withdraws endorsement of Court Clerk Dorothy Brown". The Columbia Chronicle. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
  21. Byrne, John (June 1, 2018). "Federally appointed monitor to follow Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown's hiring practices". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  22. Quig, A.D. (November 21, 2022). "Cook County court clerk is latest to exit federal oversight of hiring practices, though administrator has lingering concerns". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
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  27. Dardick, Hal (5 June 2009). "Dorothy Brown says she won't take cash from county employees". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  28. Mihalopoulos, Dan; Main, Frank (2013-01-20). "Clerk Dorothy Brown chaired fund-raiser cited in Nagin corruption case". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  29. "Cook County Circuit Clerk tied to fundraiser named in corruption case". WGN-TV. 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
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  32. Dardick, Hal (22 January 2010). "Brown provides records, tries to move past 'Jeans Day' flap in circuit clerk's office". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  33. Byrne, John (26 August 2010). "Brown ends 'jeans days' after investigation's report". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  34. Blanchard, Patrick. "Jeans Day Fundraiser Review" (PDF). Office of Inspector General, City of Chicago. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  35. Clauss, Hunter (January 22, 2010). "Dorothy Brown Defends Jeans Day". WBEZ. Retrieved 2014-12-22.
  36. "No written policy for Brown's "Jeans Days"". ABC 7 Chicago. January 22, 2010. Retrieved 2014-12-22.
  37. "Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown flips free property for $100K". Fox 32 News. November 25, 2013. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  38. "Dorothy's Deed, Done Dirt Cheap; Campaign donor gives Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown's husband a building worth $100,000. Why? And why didn't Brown disclose the freebie as apparently required?". Better Government Association. November 25, 2013. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  39. "Dorothy Brown, Feeling Heat; Inspector general launches investigation over land deal involving wealthy campaign donor giving $100,000 parcel to husband of Circuit Court clerk". Better Government Association. March 4, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-20.
  40. Dardick, Hal (May 9, 2014). "Cook County circuit clerk's land deal probed; Brown, husband got parcel for free, sold it for tens of thousands in profit". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  41. Carlson, Erin (May 12, 2014). "Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown Under Investigation for Shady Land Deal; Brown and her husband are also tangled up in Gov. Quinn's troubled anti-violence program". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2014-05-20.
  42. Crews, Julian (May 9, 2014). "Cook County Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown's land deal probed". WGN-TV. Retrieved 2014-05-20.
  43. Herguth, Robert; Rehkamp, Patrick; Placko, Dane (March 4, 2014). "Watchdog looks at land deal involving Dorothy Brown's husband". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-22.
  44. Korecki, Natasha (15 October 2015). "Dorothy Brown comes under scrutiny in probe of husband". Politico. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  45. Meisner, Jason (November 20, 2015). "Feds disclose probe of Dorothy Brown's office with indictment". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 29, 2016. An employee in Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown's office has been indicted, the first public confirmation that her office is under investigation over the possible "purchasing" of jobs and promotions. The one-count indictment of Sivasubramani Rajaram comes weeks after the FBI seized Brown's cellphone as part of the ongoing probe. The charge, made public Friday, alleges that Rajaram was rehired by Brown's office in September 2014, just weeks after he purportedly lent $15,000 to a company controlled by Brown's husband, Benton Cook III. Brown's attorney indicated that the loan was a legitimate business loan. Neither Brown, nor her husband were charged with any wrongdoing.
  46. Fusco, Chris; Herguth, Robert; Rehkamp, Patrick (November 20, 2015). "Feds charge worker of Cook County Court Clerk Dorothy Brown". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved February 29, 2016. A lower-level employee of Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown has been charged with lying to a federal grand jury "investigating the purchasing of jobs and promotions" in the clerk's office — including a lie about whether he had spoken to Brown after he was rehired. Sivasubramani Rajaram, 48, of Glenview, was rehired by Brown after he allegedly loaned $15,000 to Goat Masters Corporation, a company whose president was Brown's husband, Benton Cook III, according to the indictment.
  47. "Employee claims jobs sold for up to $10K in Cook County Circuit Court Clerk's office". 2 March 2018.
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