Official Charged in CDL Scandal

CHICAGO (AP) - Another employee of a secretary of state's drivers license facility has been charged with taking payoffs, bringing to 17 the number of people charged in a yearlong investigation of corruption in the secretary of state's office.

Federal authorities said a confidential informant claimed to have seen Donna Carter, 46, of Norridge take payoffs when they both worked at the state's Elk Grove Village commercial drivers

icensing facility in 1994 and 1995.

Gov. George Ryan was secretary of state at the time. He has said he knows nothing about wrongdoing while he was head of the office.

Prosecutors said Carter also was tape recorded taking $500 from an undercover postal inspector on Aug. 4 at Niles. They said she admitted taking payoffs from the owner of a driving school and from driving instructor Alex Mcleczynski, also a defendant in the case.

The investigation had been focused on two licensing facilities - McCook and Melrose Park. Last week, the probe expanded to Elk Grove Village.

Mcleczynski was charged last week with making payoffs to individuals identified only as "secretary of state's employees 1 and 2." Prosecutors said Carter was employee 2.