Former Illinois agriculture inspector sentenced to prison for lying about groping women
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A former Illinois Department of Agriculture inspector will serve federal jail time, after being convicted of lying under oath about groping several women during the course of their state-mandated inspections.
Jose Guillen was charged after CBS 2 first broke the story about the groping allegations back in 2021.
On Wednesday at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, Guillen was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for lying about groping at least five female business owners during their state inspections. While probation was an option, U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow said Wednesday that she went with jail time because Guillen used his position of power to fondle these women.
Guillen snuck out through the back door of the courthouse without comment after the sentencing Wednesday. It was a day six years in the making for doggie daycare owner Leah Bindig.
CBS 2 first uncovered Bindig's story in 2021. Guillen was caught on camera groping Leah Bindig during an inspection at Aeslin Pup Hub, her doggy daycare, boarding, and grooming business in 2019.
The camera showed Guillen touching Bindig's shoulders, back, and rear end against her will – and pressing himself up against her while holding the results of her inspection over her.
"He's holding the clip board as he's hugging me - and he's not signed off that we passed," Bindig said in 2021, "and I'm like, what do I do? What do I do? Tell him to stop?"
After Bindig got the courage to come forward, nearly a dozen female business owners also came forward to the CBS 2 investigators.
"I thought he was going to shake my hand - he put his arm out to shake my hand - and he pulled me, he hugged me, and the next thing I knew, there was a hand on my butt," Bonnie Bloom, owner of Lucky Dog Pet Service, said in 2021.
"Why is he noticing me? This is a government employee. And in my head I started going, oh my God, did he touch me?" said Magda Szymczyk of the Gypsy Cats NFP Inc. Feline Sanctuary.
Guillen was fired after our story aired. In a video deposition, he at first claimed the touching was "consensual" - and then later changed his story to say he was "falling."
"I have two left feet so obviously I, I'm a little clumsy, so, yes," he said in a deposition. "I was keeping my balance to make sure I didn't fall."
But federal prosecutors said Guillen knew he'd touched the woman's buttocks on purpose, and he had grabbed and groped his victims "for purposes of his own sexual gratification."
In 2022, Guillen was indicted on federal charges alleging he groped five women during their inspections - and then lied under oath about it under oath. In September, Guillen pleaded guilty.
CBS 2 learned in court Wednesday that Guillen also surreptitiously took photos of some of the women he was inspecting.
Guillen was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.
"It's a long time to ponder what you did," said Bindig.
Bindig and Szymczyk both made victim impact statements in court – and said they are glad they spoke up.
"Not only did it remove him from an inspector role, but reporting it brought other women forward," said Bindig. "It laid out another precedent for inspectors."
"People have to step up to stop this," said Szymczyk, "and that was the whole point here was to make him stop - and I think we did that today."
The judge in this case mentioned CBS 2's coverage of this case over the years as one of the reasons she hopes this sentence serves as a general deterrence for others in a position of power like Guillen.
He reports to prison on April 24.
