Jailed After DUI Arrest, Former Ald. Proco 'Joe' Moreno Granted Bail, Required To Undergo Alcohol Treatment
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Jailed for more than a week for violating the terms of a previous felony case when he was arrested for drunk driving, former Ald. Proco "Joe" Moreno was granted bail Friday, and ordered to enroll in an alcohol treatment program.
Moreno was jailed on Jan. 7, after Judge William Hooks revoked his bond from a 2019 fraud case for violating his bail conditions when he was charged last month with two misdemeanor counts of DUI, one misdemeanor count of reckless driving, and five misdemeanor counts of failure to notify damage to an unattended vehicle.
Police said Moreno, 48, was driving south on Astor Street around 9:20 p.m. on Dec. 27, when he hit several parked cars between the 1500 and 1200 blocks of North Astor Street, and then drove into a tree near Division Street. An iron fence was also damaged.
At his latest court appearance on Friday, Hooks granted Moreno $5,000 bail. He must pay 10% of that amount to be released from jail, and once he's out, he must participate in an alcohol treatment program and provide reports to the court.
He's also under curfew from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., and is prohibited from driving unless he gets back his driver's license, which was confiscated by police when he was arrested.
The former 1st Ward aldermen left office in May 2019, after he lost the February election to Daniel La Spata. Days before leaving office, Moreno was arrested and charged with insurance fraud and obstruction of justice, accused of filing a false police report that his car was stolen in January.
Cook County prosecutors said Moreno filed a false insurance claim for the car, and his insurance company was prepared to pay him $30,000 for the 2016 Audi sedan until detectives informed them the car had not been stolen.
In January, Chicago police began investigating the alderman for filing a false police report about the car. He had reported his Audi stolen in January, and his girlfriend, Lilya Hrabar, later was charged with criminal trespass after she was seen driving it weeks later.
Prosecutors dropped charges against Hrabar the day after her arrest, after Moreno admitted he had let her use the car.
"We were having a miscommunication about when she needed to return it," Moreno said at the time.
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