Ex-WBBM-TV Staffer Gets Jail Time

According to various published reports, former WBBM-TV Chicago assistant controller Deborah Fogarty and her husband, Tim, have pled guilty to stealing almost $2 million in station money. They will both do jail time.

Deborah Fogarty had been charged with diverting funds from company American Express accounts, with the couple spending the money on trips, jewelry and toys for their two children. According to a report on WMAQ-TV Chicago’s Web site, Deborah Fogarty will serve seven and a half years in prison and her husband, who was charged because he had knowledge of the thefts, will serve four.

A civil suit filed by the station is still pending.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.