(CN) - A court reporter in Chicago claims a federal postal inspector fabricated charges that she had overbilled state attorneys in an attempt to get her to talk about the alleged misconduct of judges.
Pamela Terry, who has worked as a court reporter in Chicago for more than 30 years, said in her federal complaint that in 2005 postal inspector David Hodapp and an Illinois assistant attorney general showed up at her house claiming they had "evidence" of her alleged crimes in a briefcase.
Terry says that Hodapp told her she could make it all go away if she "would supply information of misconduct regarding judges of the criminal court."
Failing to believe that Hodapp had any real "evidence," and having no information to give him, Terry says she refused, but Hodapp would not let it go.
"For months thereafter Hodapp continued to contact [Terry] demanding that she tell him about wrongdoing by judges in whose courtrooms she worked and threatening she would be prosecuted for overbilling if she refused, telling [her] that she should meet him at the post office on a Sunday or on one occasion long after the post office had closed for the day," the complaint says.
After continuing to ignore Hodapp for several months, Terry says she was charged in Cook County Court with "offenses relating to invoices or vouchers to the Office of the Cook County States Attorney for transcripts prepared as part of her employment." She says she was acquitted on all charges in 2008.
Terry seeks punitive damages from Hodapp, alleging constitutional and civil rights violations. She is represented by Leo McGonigal.
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