ATTORNEY GENERAL SUES POLITICALLY CONNECTED CHARITY OFFICIALS

SPRINGFIELD (AP) -- Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan sued two politically
connected former charity officials today, accusing them of misusing more
than $500,000 of the organization's money.

A spokesman for Ryan said criminal charges against the two men David S.
Noffs and Yesse Ben Yehudah are under consideration.

Noffs is the former director and a board member of Life Education Center,
an Elmhurst-based organization aimed at keeping children off drugs. Noffs
is also an Elmhurst alderman.

Yehudah is another former member of the charity's board, which also
included Gov. George Ryan's wife, Lura Lynn Ryan.

One of the lawsuit's allegations is that Noffs gave $240,000 in Life
Education Center funds to a charity run by Yehudah. Yehudah's charity then
used $67,000 of that money to pay Noffs wife and a company owned by Noffs.

The lawsuit also claims Noffs spent more than $180,000 in charity money for
apparently personal uses, such as health clubs and restaurants.

The lawsuit asks for an accounting of the money, penalties of $50,000 for
each violation of charity law and punitive damages. Noffs also could be
forced to return the $340,000 he was paid by Life Education Center.

Noffs declined to comment Friday. Yehudah did not immediately return a message.

Noffs is a friend of Gov. Ryan's family. He worked with Lura Lynn Ryan
through the charity, hired the governor's son for a year and later bought
insurance from the son, George H. Ryan Jr. None of the Ryans have been
accused of wrongdoing.

Yehudah is a frequent political donor to the Ryans, as well as other
politicians of both parties.

The attorney general's office took 16 months to review the allegations, and
Jim Ryan has been criticized for moving too slowly.

An auditing firm led by his campaign treasurer, Joel Herter, failed to
uncover alleged misspending by Noffs and Yehudah believed to be at the
heart of the lawsuit, according published reports.