A pair of veteran prosecutors retired unexpectedly Thursday from the Cook County state’s attorney’s office, marking more turnover among top staff in the waning months of State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s at times turbulent administration.
Assistant state’s attorneys Andrew Varga and John Maher each served more than 30 years with in the office, and they were often assigned to the most high-profile cases.
Varga had been dogged by allegations of misconduct in one such case — the prosecution of three men charged in the 2011 murder of Chicago Police Officer Clifton Lewis. Varga’s co-counsel in the case, Nancy Adduci, was fired in December after lawyers for the three defendants said a trove of key evidence was withheld by police and prosecutors.
Adduci had been removed as head of the office’s wrongful conviction unit in October and was fired two months later. She has since sued the office, claiming a supervisor said she was being demoted because of her race.
Lawyers for the three men charged in the Lewis murder — Alexander Villa, Edgardo Colon and Tyrone Clay — had accused Varga and Adduci of holding back records of hundreds of police interrogations, as well as cellphone data that showed the three weren’t at the murder scene.
Varga and Adduci were removed from the case in 2022, and charges against Colon and Clay were dropped the following year. The pair have sued the city, Varga, Adduci and a Cook County judge claiming that they were framed. Meanwhile, Villa has appealed his conviction and life sentence.
Varga remained with the office after Adduci was fired. He was more recently been assigned as lead prosecutor in the case of Clarisa Figuroa, charged with the murder of pregnant 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa. Figueroa in April pleaded guilty and accepted a 50-year sentence.
Maher was a supervisor in the complex homicide and gang unit, where Varga worked. Maher had also worked on the Clifton Lewis case but was sidelined by a lengthy medical leave.
Maher notably led a racketeering case against the Black Souls street gang and the prosecution of the gunman who killed CPD Cmdr. Paul Bauer. Maher twice has run unsuccessfully for judge.
In a phone interview Friday, Maher declined to elaborate on his reasons for retiring on the same day as Varga.
“I’m proud of all the work I did for the community and the office,” Maher said. “And I’m leaving with my principles intact and my head held high.”