Chicago Radio: Trial Set For WDCB Radio Engineer

John Valenta

A radio engineer accused of defrauding the College of DuPage radio station will go on trial in February.

According to The Chicago Tribune, John J. Valenta, 67, of Wheaton, will face trial in DuPage County court beginning Feb. 28. Judge Liam Brennan set the trial date at a hearing Tuesday and said he would limit testimony about a previous Valenta conviction for a similar incident at another college radio station.

Valenta was indicted in April 2015 for theft of governmental property in excess of $100,000 and other charges related to his tenure as a part-time engineer at WDCB, the COD radio station.

Authorities allege that between 2006 and 2013, Valenta submitted invoices for WDCB services and repairs to COD payable to a company called Broadcast Technologies, which Valenta owned. The college was unaware of Valenta's ownership interest, and an investigation revealed that many invoices for services were not completed and that the college paid for parts that were not delivered, according to prosecutors.

According to court files, Valenta told police that he submitted false invoices because he felt he should have been employed full time at the station. He also said he needed money to support his six children, including a child with special needs, according to files.

A Tribune investigation put the total at about $400,000 billed to COD by Valenta's company. The criminal charges in DuPage County list the amount as "in excess of $100,000."

At the time of his arrest, Valenta was on probation for a conviction in a 2011 case, in which he illegally received more than $11,000 for invoices submitted to Elmhurst College for services at the college's radio station. Valenta, who worked as a contract employee at the station, pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to probation and ordered to make restitution.