Jury to Hear of Illinois Public Official’s Gambling in Overtime Fraud Case

Posted on: June 28, 2025, 05:17h. 

Last updated on: June 28, 2025, 05:17h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.
  • Jury to weigh gambling ties in fraud allegations
  • Prosecutors allege over $100K stolen through falsified hours
  • Defense sought to block gambling evidence before trial

A jury in Kankakee County, Ill., will hear evidence about the gambling habits of a former Iroquois County Public Health Department administrator accused of charging 759 hours she spent in a local slots parlor as overtime, The Ford County Chronicle reports.

Dee Ann Schippert, Iroquois County theft, public corruption trial, Illinois gambling fraud, health department scandal
Dee Ann Schippert’s mugshot, above. The former public health official allegedly spent an average of 38 hours of her working week at Winnies’ Gaming Café in Watseka. (Image: Illinois Attorney General’s Office)

Prosecutors claim Dee Ann Schippert, 57, stole over $100K from the health department between May 31, 2020, and July 15, 2022. She did this by submitting fraudulent timesheets claiming overtime she did not earn, hours she did not work, and backpay she was not entitled to, they allege.

When another employee at the health department got wise to these alleged activities, Schippert fired them in an act of “whistleblower retaliation,” according to court documents.

She is facing 33 felony charges, including eight counts of theft of government property by deception, eight counts of forgery, and 17 counts of official misconduct.

Gambling Central to Case

At a hearing this week, Judge William Dickenson denied a motion filed by Schippert’s lawyers in December to prohibit evidence about her gambling. Defense attorneys argued in the motion that such evidence was “irrelevant.”

Lawyers for the Illinois Attorney General’s Office argued that Schippert’s gambling was central to the case. The former public servant spent on average around 38 hours a month at Winnie’s Gaming Café in Watseka when she claimed she was working, they asserted.

Prosecutors intend to introduce surveillance video, cell phone data, and work laptop login records at trial to show that Schippert was gambling during the workday. They will also present witness testimony from employees who will claim they regularly saw her car parked outside Winnie’s during business hours.

The People intend to present evidence from both witnesses as well as documentary records reviewed during the investigation to demonstrate that the Defendant was not only not working her required 40 hours per week (but) was also falsifying her overtime hours in order to receive overtime pay,” Assistant Illinois Attorney General Haley Bookhout wrote.

“Evidence of her hours spent at Winnie’s, coupled with other evidence obtained, is both highly relevant and necessary to the people’s case in-chief,” she added.

Political Views Barred

A separate motion filed by Schippert’s legal team to bar any reference to her political or social views – including opposition to the “LGBTQIA+ agenda” – was granted without objection from the prosecution.

If convicted, Schippert could face significant prison time, restitution, and a permanent bar from holding public office. Jury selection in the case has not yet been scheduled.