Ex-LW D210 Supt. Lawrence Wyllie Gets New Date For Fraud Trial

FRANKFORT, IL — A new date has been set for the federal fraud trial of former Lincoln-Way High School District 210 Supt. Lawrence Wyllie, who was indicted last year on five counts of wire fraud and a single count of embezzlement, according to U.S. District Court documents. Proceedings are now set to begin Nov. 26, a week earlier than the original date, court records state.

According to a July 26 docket filing, the prosecution and defense both agreed to move up the start of Wyllie's jury trial, which had been scheduled for Dec. 3. In January, Judge Gary Feinerman said he thought the proceedings would run three weeks, but the trial is now expected to last four weeks, the filing states.

A grand jury indicted Wyllie in September 2017, and he's accused of misusing school district bond money to finance his personal projects. That included allegedly spending $50,000 on Superdog, a dog-training school, as well as allegedly paying himself $16,000 as part of a retirement stipend not included in his contract, according to the indictment.

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Wyllie, who retired as superintendent in 2013, also allegedly hid the district's "true financial health" while he was in charge of the school system, the indictment states. He's accused of generating at least $7 million in additional debt for District 210, according to the complaint.

If convicted, Wyllie could face up to 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count. The embezzlement charge carries a maximum 10-year sentence if convicted.

In 2015, the district was put on the state's financial watch list, which led to the closing of Lincoln-Way North High School in June 2016. Despite the school's shuttering, District 210 is still on the hook for $280 million, and those payments will continue to balloon until 2033.

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Because of that, the D210 school board approved the hiring last week of a Naperville financial consultant to examine the school system's debt in an effort to find any restructuring solutions, according to the Daily Southtown. PMA Financial Network also will be tasked with determining how much of what the district owes hinges on L-W North, which opened in 2008 and was funded by a $225 million bond referendum in 2006, the report added.

Six firms presented proposals to the board, and PMA was recommended for the district assignment after interviewing with two board members and Brad Cauffman, the school system's assistant superintendent for business, the report stated. The district will pay PMA $250 an hour for non-bond refinancing work, and if a bond refinancing solution is found, the firm will earn an added fee based on the amount, the report added.

This isn't the first time PMA has worked with the district. The consultant had previously been hired by the district to look at the school system's finances after D210 landed on the state watch list, according to the Southtown.

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Former Lincoln-Way High School District 210 Supt. Lawrence Wyllie (Photo via Lincoln-Way High School District 210)