The Berwyn United Neighborhood Gay and Lesbian Organization ( BUNGLALO ) recently announced that the U.S. Attorney's office will not pursue a case involving a gay-baiting letter mailed to 8,000 Berwyn residents in March.
The letter, sent out one week before the Illinois primary, involved a referendum that would have removed home rule in Berwyn. It attempted to link the efforts of the organization backing the referendumthe Independent Voters of Berwynto BUNGALO, indicating that the voters group had been "taken over" by gays.
On postal forms the group responsible for the mailing was listed as Citizens for Family Values, an organization that is not registered with the state of Illinois, BUNGALO reports.
An investigation launched by the voters group later found that the letter had been sent out by a group called "Berwyn Democratic."
In April, BUNGALO members filed a complaint with the U.S. Attorney's office citing violations of a statute that prohibits giving misleading or false information when sending a bulk mailing. The group also protested the perceived shortchanging of the U.S. Post Office; the organization responsible for the letter received a non-profit postal rate but is not a state-recognized non-profit.
BUNGALO also filed a claim with the state Board of Elections, citing violation of a statute that requires political materials to clearly state who it was mailed and funded by.
BUNGALO co-chair Ted Korbos said in a release that he was told by the U.S. Attorney's office that the case was not fiscally significant enough to pursue. He said the elections board told him that it did not have enough information to prove a case.