By Joe Ragusa
BLOOMINGTON – A Democratic McLean County board member says it’s too early to decide if Matt Sorensen should be removed as chairman.
Sorensen, a 49-year-old Republican, has been indicted on charges of wire fraud stemming from his time at State Farm. He’s accused of participating in a consulting scheme where he pocketed over $400,000 for work he never did.
“I was stunned to hear the news,” board member George Gordon said. “Very surprised and that’s putting it mildly.”
Gordon said he heard rumors about Sorensen’s departure from State Farm three years ago.
“But I never felt that I had anything close to a good grasp of the facts of the situation,” Gordon said.
Sorensen has been on the board since 2007. Gordon called it “premature” to discuss potentially removing Sorensen. Board vice-chairman John McIntyre echoed the same thoughts in a statement, saying there’s too many unknown variables right now regarding Sorensen’s case.
McLean County Administrator Bill Wasson said the crimes Sorensen is accused of don’t appear to involve the county board and administrators are reviewing the issue with legal counsel before commenting further on Sorensen’s status with the board.
Sorensen has not responded to WJBC’s requests for comment. Our original story about his indictment can be found here.
Joe Ragusa can be reached at joe.ragusa@cumulus.com.
