Clout, conflicts of interest cloud the work of Illinois’ Special Prosecution Unit

The former assistant state’s attorney charged with murder. The judge caught driving drunk. The clerk accused of skimming government funds. When local prosecutors might have political or personal ties to a defendant, the state brings in an elite squad of government attorneys: the Illinois Special Prosecution Unit. They are supposed to be lawyers beyond reproach. Instead, the unit has been clouded by allegations of corruption, misconduct and conflicts of interest. The two dozen lawyers of…