Former Wheaton Man Gets 40 Years For Soliciting Murder of DuPage Co. Officials

A former 55-year-old Wheaton resident on Friday received the maximum prison sentence for agreeing to pay a hitman to take out some DuPage County officials.

Gordon Vanderark was sentenced to 40 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections by Judge George Bakalis for soliciting the murder of Judge Fawell and Assistant State’s Attorney Audrey Anderson, according to a news release.

Vanderark began soliciting a fellow inmate for Fawell and Anderson's murders while he began serving a prison sentence at the Centralia Correctional Center, the release said. On Dec. 20, 2010, Fawell sentenced Vanderark to 16 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after he pled guilty to aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol. 

Vanderark agreed to pay the “hitman” $70,000 for the murders and had already paid him more than $2,000 in advance. After receiving information about the plot, prison authorities, the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office and the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office conducted an investigation into the matter, ultimately resulting in the 40 year sentence.

A jury trial was held earlier this year, and the jury found him guilty of the charges for which he was sentenced Friday.

"The basic tenants of our criminal justice system were attacked by Mr. Vanderark when he threatened to kill a judge and prosecutor. (Friday's) sentence will punish him for his acts and serve as a deterrent to anyone who attacks our system," Berlin said in the release. 

Vanderark will be required to serve 85 percent of the sentence. The 40-year sentence will be served consecutively to the DUI sentence earlier imposed.

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