Feds seek to have former Ald. Rick Munoz sent back to prison after drunk driving arrest

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Federal prosecutors are seeking to have former Ald. Rick Munoz sent back to prison, after he was caught driving drunk while on supervised release in May, following his conviction for stealing from a campaign fund to cover personal expenses.

Munoz was sentenced to 13 months in prison in 2022 after pleading guilty to charges of  stealing money from a campaign fund to spend on vacations, jewelry, tickets to sporting events, college tuition, and other personal expenses.

After his release from prison last year, Munoz faced 18 months of supervised release – the federal equivalent of parole.

Federal prosecutors said on May 23, he was arrested on drunk driving charges in west suburban Berwyn.

Witnesses told police that Munoz veered into oncoming traffic and struck another car, according to federal prosecutors. Munoz was seen slumped over the wheel of his car when police arrived, and he had a half-empty bottle of Captain Morgan rum in the front seat.

After he was taken to Rush University Medical Center, tests revealed his blood alcohol level was 0.3, or nearly four times the legal limit for driving, prosecutors said. Munoz told his probation officer he had "relapsed" after his release from custody last year.

A hearing has been scheduled for Thursday on prosecutors' request to revoke Munoz's supervised release. Prosecutors are recommending he be sentenced to an additional 3 to 9 months in prison.

Munoz, who represented the 22nd Ward in Chicago from 1993 until 2019, was indicted in 2021 on 15 federal counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. He later pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.

According to his plea agreement, while Munoz was serving as chairman of the Chicago Progressive Reform Caucus, he absconded with $37,891.99 from the group's political action committee to use on personal expenses.

The caucus removed him as chairman in 2019, after accusing him of questionable spending in filings with the Illinois State Board of Elections. The complaint led to the federal charges against Munoz.

Munoz admitted to using the money he stole for jewelry from a Louis Vuitton store, an insurance payment on his car, women's clothing from Nordstrom's, three iPhones, a skydiving excursion, tickets to Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Kings games, and travel to Los Angeles. He also paid overdue college tuition for a family member.

Munoz retired in 2019, after his wife accused him of physically abusing her. He was later acquitted of a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery. He had been arrested on Jan. 2 of that year after police said he got into a quarrel with his wife on New Year's Eve two days earlier, and shoved and hit her.

A month after the alleged incident, the Chicago Tribune reported Munoz's wife, Betty Torres Munoz, said she wanted to reconcile with her husband – calling him a "really good man" dealing with alcohol addiction.