Lena Alfano, wife of Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino, shoved a woman out of a bar and held her down on a sidewalk until a friend of the victim pushed Alfano off, according to police.
Mautino posted $120 bond for the 54-year-old Alfano on May 20.
According to Spring Valley officer Sarah Kinkin, Alfano said the bond money was worth being able to beat up the woman, Margaret Carey of Spring Valley.
Kinkin wrote that Alfano said she would continue to beat up Carey any time she sees her and wouldn’t care if she got arrested again.
Bureau County State’s Attorney Geno Caffarini filed a misdemeanor charge of battery on May 31.
On June 4, Associate Judge Cornelius Hollerich transferred the case to Chief Judge Chris Ryan of the 13th Judicial Circuit for reassignment.
Carey, age 48, arrived at the police station with friends Shanna Cawley and Angie Cinotte at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 19.
“Margaret was crying and was bleeding from her right elbow,” Kinkin wrote.
According to Kinkin’s report:
Carey said a friend of Alfano whom she didn’t recognize warned her that she should leave or Lena would cause a problem. Carey said she tried to find Cawley and tell her she was leaving.
Carey said Alfano approached her and asked if she was Margaret Carey, and she told Alfano she was.
“A few minutes later, as Margaret was standing with her back towards the front door, Lena came up to her and pushed her with both hands,” Kinkin wrote.
“Margaret stated that this made the door open and Lena continued to push her until they were near the sidewalk.”
Carey stated that she fell to the concrete.
Carey stated Alfano called Carey’s husband a thief and accused him of stealing from her family 20 years prior.
“Margaret explained that she was on her back and Lena was over her kicking her and punching her,” Kinkin wrote.
Cawley then pushed Alfano off Carey.
Her injuries included a scraped and bleeding right elbow and a scraped leg.
Kinkin wrote that she saw a large area of redness on Carey’s back.
Kinkin wrote that Cawley said she gathered up Carey’s purse and telephone before going outside.
She wrote that Cawley said she wrapped her arms around Alfano and pulled her, which allowed Carey to get up and walk away.
Kinkin then visited the bar, Jack’s Place.
She wrote that witness Destiny Hill said she saw Alfano yelling at Carey inside, and saw Carey trying to get away from her.
Witness Cameron Savage said the door opened as he entered and he saw Alfano pushing Carey backward.
Savage said he saw Carey on the ground with Alfano on top of her.
Witness Mackenzie Zywica, who entered with Savage, said Alfano and Carey bumped into her.
Zywica said Alfano pushed Carey to the ground and got on top. Zywica also said Carey yelled for Alfano to stop.
Kinkin spoke with bartender Tyler Thompson, who said he didn’t see anything between Alfano and Carey.
Kinkin located Alfano outside the bar.
“I asked Lena if she was willing to come to the police department to talk about what happened and she said no but that she would talk to me,” Kinkin wrote.
She wrote that Alfano said Carey’s husband stole $1.7 million from her family 17 years ago.
“As I spoke with Lena she was holding a beer, swaying back and forth, and I could smell a strong odor of alcohol emitting from her breath,” Kinkin wrote.
She wrote that Alfano threw her hands into the air and yelled, “So I kicked her ass. I admit it. Take me to jail.”
She wrote that she began reading Alfano’s rights.
“Lena initialed the first box and then told me that she would not initial anything else,” Kinkin wrote.
She wrote that Alfano said she wanted an attorney.
Later that morning, officer Joshua Pellegrini contacted bar owner Eric Verucchi.
“Eric said that at this time his video surveillance system was inoperable,” Kinkin wrote.
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