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• Ex-inmate accuses prisons of consumer fraud for charging too much for cigarettes  

Illinois prison officials charge inmates too much for cigarettes, according to a lawsuit filed by a former inmate.

Timothy Giancana, who did time at the downstate Vandalia Correctional Center from 2007 to 2009, alleges the prison system is guilty of consumer fraud for marking up tobacco and non-tobacco commissary goods beyond the 25 percent and 35 percent, respectively, allowed by law.

In making his case against Illinois Department of Corrections officials, Giancana's suit cites an Aug. 6, 2009, state Auditor General report that examined commissary prices for the two years ending June 30, 2008, and criticized the Vandalia facility for tacking on a 7 percent operating charge in addition to the 25 percent and 35 percent markups.

Another state audit revealed that, systemwide, 3 percent to 7 percent operating charges were tacked on, according to the lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court.

"IDOC has charged inmates commissary prices that well exceed the legal maximum," the lawsuit states.

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