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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — An Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) attorney was fired following a report that she was working for an unnamed bank “on State time.”
On Dec. 13, 2022, the Office of Executive Inspector General (OEIG) received a complaint alleging that Illinois DCFS worker Deobrah Riley performed work at the bank “on State time.” The OEIG obtained Riley’s DCFS personnel file, which showed that she started working full-time at DCFS in the Office of Legal Services on Nov. 16, 2022, as a Senior Regional Counsel, based in the Urbana office.
Some of her duties included representing DCFS in hearings, appearing in court, interviewing witnesses, evaluating cases, serving as the liaison to the Attorney General’s Office and serving as the legal advisor to the Regional Administrator and Sate’s Attorney’s Offices. Records from the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Committee show that Riley was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 2002.
DCFS rules require employees who have any secondary employment to notify their supervisor, in writing, and that their other job does not interfere with their official duties. Documents show that on Nov. 16, 2022, Riley emailed her supervisor that she was a member of a bank’s board and also worked “part-time on weekends” at the bank on a temporary basis until the bank found a permanent replacement for her previous position of “Bank President.”
However, she also claimed that she was working at the bank on her breaks and off hours from her position at DCFS. Ultimately, the OEIG’s office found that these claims were not credible.
Additionally, there were a number of weeks of logged work hours where Riley claimed to work at the bank for more hours than at her DCFS position:
| Timeframes | Total Reported Hours Worked at [Bank 1] | Total Reported Hours Worked at DCFS |
| Nov. 16-30, 2022 | 70.75 | 67.5 |
| Dec. 1-15, 2022 | 86 | 82.5 |
| Dec. 16-31, 2022 | 83.50 | 75 |
| Jan. 1-15, 2023 | 75 | 67.5 |
| Jan. 16-31, 2023 | 77 | 82.5 |
| Feb. 1-15, 2023 | 69.5 | 75 |
| Feb. 16-28, 2023 | 40.25 | 60 |
| March 1-15, 2023 | 12 | 82.5 |
| March 16-31, 2023 | 8.5 | 90 |
| April 1-15, 2023 | 12 | 75 |
| April 16-30, 2023 | 3 | 75 |
| May 1-15, 2023 | 6 | 82.5 |
Towards the end of the report, a letter shows that Riley was fired for “cause effective” on Aug. 6, 2024.
To view the full report, click here.