The Wheaton Historical Preservation Council and some of its board members misused donated money and continued to raise funds and spend money even after its museum closed, a lawsuit filed by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul alleges.

       The suit, filed in DuPage County Circuit Court, accuses preservation council board members Gloria Leetz and Laurie Warfel of illegally transferring more than $300,000 to the board president, Alberta Adamson, according to a statement from Raoul’s office.

       “Nobody was taking any money from anybody,” said Warfel, who was reached by phone Wednesday evening. “He’s wrong,” said Warfel of Raoul, declining to elaborate.

       Leetz and Adamson could not be reached.

       The suit also raises questions about how the preservation council, which closed in 2017, stores historical artifacts and alleges the council is not registered with the attorney general’s office, which is a violation of state law.

       The lawsuit accuses Adamson of receiving approximately $300,000 from the preservation council since 2017 and alleges that Adamson and Warfel tried to characterize a $120,000 loan to Adamson in 2017 as reimbursement for a debt the preservation council owed. Additionally, Adamson allegedly received $72,000 in 2018, which was characterized as rent paid after the preservation council sold its property, and in 2021, the preservation council allegedly paid Adamson approximately $109,303 for unknown purposes, the statement said.

       The attorney general’s office is demanding a “full accounting of the organization’s funds,” and is seeking the ouster of Adamson, Leetz and Warfel and other preservation council board members.

       The lawsuit stemmed from an investigation Raoul’s office opened after receiving several complaints.

       The preservation council is a nonprofit organization responsible for preserving the history of the city of Wheaton, including by maintaining a museum and collection of historical artifacts, according to the statement. Since it closed, the museum collection has been stored at a city-owned facility that is not accessible to the public.

       “I filed this lawsuit to ensure that board members are held accountable, and my office will continue to hold individuals accountable for using charitable funds for their own benefit,” Raoul said in the statement.

       rsobol@chicagotribune.com

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