Federal investigators have subpoenaed the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police for financial and governance records connected to Chicago FOP President John Catanzara, demanding paystubs, tax records, expense vouchers, and reimbursement forms dating back to October 2020. Catanzara says he has not seen the subpoena, has not hired an attorney, and has not testified before the grand jury.
The subpoena, dated October 2025, also seeks receipts, memos, text messages, and emails relating to Catanzara, along with notes from board of trustees meetings, audit committee meetings, and general meetings, according to the Chicago Tribune. It further demands records concerning amendments to the lodge's bylaws and constitution, as well as communications between the lodge and outside accounting groups. Catanzara is the only person named in the subpoena, and state union representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the paper reports.
Catanzara has led the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, representing rank-and-file Chicago Police Department officers since May 2020. He appeared at a news conference at the Leighton Criminal Court Building this past April, where he was photographed departing the building by Tribune photographer Brian Cassella. Catanzara said he believes the investigation was likely sparked by animus within the union, and warned that those responsible would be held accountable if it turns out to be based on personal hatred rather than legitimate wrongdoing.
A Second Subpoena, A Year Apart
This is not the first time federal investigators have sought Catanzara-related financial records. Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, the local Chicago union he leads, received a similar subpoena last year, per the Tribune's reporting. The renewed federal interest comes as Catanzara had already taken a leave of absence from his role as First Vice President of the state police union in October 2025.
That leave followed allegations of financial misconduct brought by a fellow Illinois FOP State Lodge board member. State Lodge President Chris Southwood confirmed in a letter that Catanzara agreed to the voluntary leave pending outside law enforcement inquiries, according to CBS News Chicago. Catanzara denied the allegations at the time and characterized them as part of a personal or political feud, a claim he has echoed in describing the current federal scrutiny. Hoodline previously reported on his leave when it was first announced.
Within Lodge 7 itself, opponents had also tried to challenge Catanzara's financial management. An internal investigation cleared him of wrongdoing in November 2025 after union opponents accused him of misusing union funds, according to a report from WGN-TV. That internal exoneration came just a month after he stepped back from his state role, underscoring how long questions about his handling of union finances have circulated before reaching the level of a federal grand jury.
A Union Chief Who Wins Elections Despite Turmoil
Catanzara's authority within Lodge 7 remains intact regardless of the federal scrutiny. He won re-election as president in March 2023 with 57% of the vote against challenger Detective Robert Bartlett's 43%, securing a four-year term running through 2027, per CBS News Chicago. Bartlett had campaigned on the argument that Catanzara's combative leadership style was alienating potential allies for the union.
IRS Form 990 filings show Catanzara received $195,017 in total compensation for the fiscal year ending December 2024, a year in which Lodge 7 reported $10.68 million in total revenue, according to nonprofit-finance tracker Cause IQ. The lodge draws the vast majority of that revenue from member dues, which fund administrative expenses, legal defense, and union officer salaries.
Catanzara's rise to the top of Lodge 7 came after a turbulent exit from the Chicago Police Department itself. He resigned from the department in November 2021 during a Chicago Police Board evidentiary hearing that stemmed from incendiary comments he made on social media. Prior to that resignation, he faced 11 formal departmental charges for rule violations, including insubordination and making false reports, and had accumulated 50 misconduct complaints over his 23-year CPD career, per CBS News Chicago's reporting. Retiring from the department allowed Catanzara to avoid potential termination by the Police Board while retaining his elected union presidency.
Roots in a 2017 Social Media Controversy
The social media controversy that eventually led to his 2021 termination hearing had earlier roots. Catanzara was originally assigned as a school officer and cross-country coach at Hubbard High School in Chicago Lawn before being removed from that post in September 2017 following a reprimand over a political social media post he made in uniform, according to DNAinfo.
Contract Fights and Legal Battles Over Discipline
Catanzara's tenure has also been marked by high-stakes negotiations over how officers accused of misconduct are disciplined. Under his leadership, the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police secured a new collective bargaining agreement with the city that provided a 20% pay raise for FOP members over four years. Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration announced the tentative extension in October 2023, which also added 300 civilian positions and 100 detectives to the Chicago Police Department.
A separate provision of that agreement allowed officers accused of serious misconduct to have their cases heard and adjudicated by a third party rather than the Chicago Police Board, and it remains subject to an ongoing court challenge. The Chicago City Council voted 33–17 in December 2023 to reject an arbitrator's ruling that would have permitted that private-arbitration option for officers facing termination or long suspensions, according to CBS News Chicago. Mayor Johnson and civil rights advocates argued the change would dismantle public disciplinary oversight put in place after the Laquan McDonald police shooting.
Catanzara's clashes with city officials over policy predate that fight. In October 2021, Cook County Circuit Judge Cecilia Horan issued a temporary restraining order barring Catanzara from encouraging FOP members to defy the city's mandatory COVID-19 vaccine reporting policy, per Police1. City attorneys at the time accused him of advocating insubordination, while the union pursued unfair labor practice complaints that have continued in state court.
Representation within the union's own leadership has also drawn scrutiny. Following the March 2023 FOP elections, reporting by WBEZ found that only one Black officer was elected among 27 new union board members, according to the Chicago Crusader. Retired detective Keith Carter was the first Black officer elected to the FOP board since 2011, having run on a slate opposing Catanzara.
For now, Catanzara maintains he has not seen the subpoena issued to the state lodge and has not retained an attorney for the proceedings. The tension between his insistence that the probe is driven by personal animus within the union and the extensive paper trail federal investigators are demanding — covering expense reimbursements, bylaw amendments, and internal communications — is likely to define the case as it moves forward.
