Woman Charged In Connection With Alderman's Stolen Car

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Questions surround a Northwest Side alderman after his car disappeared for months and a woman was charged in connection with the disappearance.

Chicago Alderman Proco Joe Moreno of the city's 1st Ward reported his 2016 Audi stolen a month ago.

Chicago police confirm a woman was spotted driving it Sunday and is now facing charges, but not for a stolen vehicle.

Chicago police say 35-year-old Liliya Hrabar was charged with criminal trespass to the Audi after she was seen driving it Sunday, a month after Moreno reported it stolen.

The alderman told police his car was taken from the 1300 block of North Leaveitt Jan. 4.

It's unclear where police spotted his car Sunday when they cited Hrabar.

Moreno chalked it all up to a misunderstanding.

"The car is not crashed. The car is in perfect condition," Moreno said. "She's a friend of mine. We dated for a while. She's a single mom. I was trying to help out. She was down on her luck and needed a car. That's end of conversation."

Moreno was asked if he was trying to falsify a police report.

"It's political season. I get it. You throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. This is something that is absolutely, 100 percent false," Moreno said. "Absolutely not. I did exactly what I was supposed to do."

Hrabar is now facing a misdemeanor. A police spokesperson said she was charged with criminal trespass to a vehicle instead of auto theft, a felony, because police can't prove she was the one who initially took it -- only that she was in the car without permission when they found it.