will county watcher

Am I My Fathers son of Art Schultz…

Do you remember son of longtime Joliet Mayor Arthur Schultz think back who spent five weekends in jail after he pleaded guilty  to a reduced charge in a ticket-fixing scandal that occurred while he oversaw the movement of prisoners at the Will County courthouse.

Arthur Schultz Jr., the former Will County Sheriff’s Department court security services coordinator, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted tampering with public records. Under a deal with the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, Schultz Jr.  served 15 weekend days in the Grundy County Jail, including three-day stints on four weekends starting Friday and a single two-day stint ending Aug. 25 2006.

Schultz Jr., who initially was charged with the felonies of official misconduct and tampering with public records, served 90 days of home confinement and two years  probation. He was required to pay $39 to Grundy County for each day he was jailed there and more than $3,500 in fines and court costs.

Schultz Jr.’s co-defendant, Diana Massat, a former deputy Will County clerk, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of official misconduct. She was sentenced to 90 days on home confinement and 30 months on probation. She must pay more than $6,000 in fines and court costs.

Prosecutor Charles Colburn, of the Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, said during a 31-month period, Massat altered computer records to make it look like the traffic violations of friends and family had been dismissed in court, while Schultz Jr. persuaded Massat to do the same for his family and friends during a 16-month period.

Colburn said neither Massat nor Schultz Jr. ever received payment for making the traffic tickets go away. “They were being big shots for their friends and family,” he told Circuit Court Judge Robert Livas.

When Massat and Schultz Jr. were indicted, State’s Atty. James Glasgow said no evidence indicated Mayor Schultz knew about his son’s ticket-fixing activities.

During the hearing, Schultz Jr., a 45-year-old husband and father of two, apologized for his crimes to “the courthouse and my family and anybody else that was involved in this.” A tearful Massat, a 29-year-old wife and mother, made a similar apology.

Massat and Schultz Jr. each submitted about 30 character letters to Livas, who then sealed them in the court file. George Lenard, Schultz Jr.’s attorney, said they were from prominent community members, including lawyers, police officers, business leaders and family members.

Lenard said Schultz Jr. was kind to his friends to a fault. “The motive for doing this was to help friends and family who received minor traffic violations,” the lawyer said.

Schultz Jr. resigned his $56,000-a-year job at the courthouse last November, weeks before indictments were returned in the case. He continues to serve as a commissioner with the Joliet Park District.

Massat was fired from her $26,500-a-year job in July 2006, after one of her supervisors noticed she handled a ticket for a family member in violation of office policy and a brief investigation turned up evidence she had fixed tickets.

Livas said the actions of Schultz Jr. and Massat had affected the reputation of everyone who worked at the courthouse.

“This is a difficult moment for everyone in the courthouse,” Livas said. “Everyone knows each other. This was a stupid mistake, made for a traffic ticket, or traffic tickets.”