Coli is cooperating with federal investigators as part of a plea deal in an extortion case related to Cinespace Studios on Chicago's West Side. The announcement has shaken political circles, as Coli and the union were key donors and organizers for prominent elected officials over the years.

“As an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Army and highly respected public servant, Tom Cullerton is a person who is dedicated to his family, constituents, and all Illinoisans,” Cullerton’s attorney, John Theis, said in an emailed statement. “The action by the U.S. Department of Justice has nothing to do with Mr. Cullerton’s work in the Illinois State Senate but is the result of false claims by disgraced Teamsters boss John Coli in an apparent attempt to avoid penalties for his wrongdoing.”

After joining the General Assembly, Cullerton was no longer eligible for the union’s health and pension funds. But within five months, Coli hired him back as a full time “purported union organizer,” the Department of Justice says.

“From March 2013 to February 2016, Cullerton fraudulently obtained from Joint Council 25 and its members approximately $188,320 in salary, bonuses, and cellphone and vehicle allowances, as well as approximately $64,068 in health and pension contributions,” a release from the DOJ says. “Cullerton used the proceeds of the payments to pay personal expenses, such as his mortgage, utilities and groceries,” prosecutors allege, as well as more than $20,000 in medical claims he was “not eligible” for.

The indictment notes Cullerton was paid even when he was attending session and other duties in Springfield, and that he “repeatedly failed to respond to efforts by his supervisors at Teamsters Joint Council 25 to contact him and routinely ignored their requests that he perform the job functions of an organizer.”

A spokesperson for Teamsters Joint Council 25 could not be immediately reached for comment.

The indictment was announced by John Lausch Jr., United States attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. An arraignment has not been scheduled. The 41 charges in the indictment are each punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment.