SPRINGFIELD – A former Republican member of the State House was fired from his new job at the Department of Illinois Corrections after he was found groping women during a Christmas party earlier this month, the Chicago Sun Times reported exclusively last Friday.
John Anthony was fired on Dec. 7, five days after the holiday party at the Wyndham Hotel in Springfield. Anthony, a Republican from Morris, worked as executive assistant to the director of the Illinois Department of Corrections. His annual salary was about $120,000, records show.
The corrections department on Friday released records about Anthony in response to a Chicago Sun-Times Freedom of Information Act request. Those records included the surveillance video.
The video can be viewed on the Sun-Times' story.
The corrections department on Friday said an investigation was launched and “immediate action” was taken as soon as officials learned of the allegations of misconduct.
In a statement, the governor’s office applauded the corrections department. “Our administration does not tolerate this type of behavior,” spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said. “The Department of Corrections did the right thing by taking immediate action.”
