By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – A federal judge has sentenced former McLean County Board Chairman Matt Sorensen to a year in prison for billing Bloomington’s State Farm Insurance for work that was never done.
Sorensen, 51, pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud and had asked the judge for a more lenient sentence of probation.
The crime has no connection to Sorensen’s work as an elected official, but rather as a tech consultant contracted to do work for State Farm.
Judge Ronald Guzman said Sorensen committed a “thinking man’s crime,” but he noted Sorensen’s impressive public service record.
More than 20 members of Sorensen’s family and friends packed the small courtroom.
In a statement to the judge, Sorensen said he is sincerely sorry for his crime, adding his business partner and co-defendant Navdeep Arora is a liar and con-man.
Chicago correspondent Cole Lauterbach was in the courtroom and said of the sentencing,
“He made it clear that this was a deception on Arora’s part, saying that he met him in the 90s; and that he had lied about almost of all his life stories up to his birthday to coincide with Sorensen,” Lauterbach said.
Sorensen and Arora are ordered to pay almost $500,000 restitution. Arora’s is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 18.
Sorensen must report to prison on the Monday after Thanksgiving.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected].
