A CTA bus technician used his clout to have his daughter's damaged car fixed at a discounted price by a bus repair company that works for the transit agency, then attempted to cover up his actions with a false invoice when an investigation was launched, a state government watchdog agency has ruled.
Anthony R. Dudek, a 25-year CTA veteran who was promoted after the incident to a bus maintenance manager position that pays about $76,800 a year, was found to have engaged in five counts of misconduct in violation of CTA ethics rules, according to an executive inspector general decision released Friday.
Dudek, 50, was suspended but is still employed by the CTA, which rejected a recommendation by the inspector general to consider demoting him, officials said Monday. They added that Dudek was promoted last October and that the inspector general report was not received until this year.
The investigation, which included the CTA Office of Inspector General, started with an anonymous tip. The probe found that in 2011, Dudek inappropriately asked a CTA subcontractor whose work for the transit agency he supervised and inspected, Bus and Truck of Chicago Inc., to repair his daughter's car and that she received a 20 percent discount, worth hundreds of dollars, off the amount it normally charges for parts.
Investigators also determined that Dudek asked an employee of the repair company, at 3330 S. Pulaski Road in Chicago, to thwart the inquiry by using a bogus invoice to hide the fact that the company repaired his daughter's car. A false invoice was produced by the repair company employee, investigators found.
The repair was covered by the daughter's car insurance, but the price manipulation effectively spared the daughter from paying out-of-pocket expenses related to the insurance policy's $500 deductible, officials found.
The inspector general recommended that the CTA discipline Dudek, including possibly rescinding the recent promotion he received while the case was being investigated. The promotion was from senior technician to bus maintenance manager.
The CTA instead suspended Dudek for three weeks without pay and placed him on disciplinary probation for one year.
In addition, the transit agency prohibited him from any dealings with Bus and Truck of Chicago "for the remainder of his career at CTA," George Cavelle, CTA director of bus maintenance, said in a letter to the executive inspector general.
Asked how Dudek could remain in his managerial position supervising the subcontractor's work, yet have no contact with Bus and Truck of Chicago, CTA spokesman Brian Steele said other managers have taken over those duties.
"In his new position, Dudek has no direct day-to-day oversight" of Bus and Truck of Chicago, Steele said.
Dudek was disciplined in accordance with CTA policy regarding a first violation, Steele said.
He said Dudek's violations stemmed from "a poor decision," but "aside from this one incident, this individual has a very strong performance record at CTA."
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