By Jonathan Bilyk | Legal Newsline
The Center Square

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s office has illegally attempted to scrub from the public record photos and other proof that he posed at an event in Chicago with a man, paid by the state as a so-called “peacekeeper,” who would be arrested two weeks burglary at Chicago’s Louis Vuitton store.

In January, attorneys with the conservative political action group, Judicial Watch, filed suit in court in Springfield, asserting Pritzker’s office had violated Illinois’ open records laws by all but ignoring Judicial Watch’s request for photos and other records in connection with the incident.

“The ‘Peacekeeper’ photographed with Governor Pritzker had four active arrest warrants at the time,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton in a statement discussing the lawsuit. “Illinois taxpayers deserve transparency on how participants in state-funded anti-violence programs are vetted. The state should prioritize rigorous screening over partisan criticism of federal crime-fighting efforts.”

The lawsuit was filed in Sangamon County Circuit Court about three months after Judicial Watch asserts the governor’s office allegedly ceased responding to the group’s requests for records under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.

The dispute centers on a photo of Pritzker with a man identified as Kellen McMiller.

The photo was taken at a Sept. 5, 2025, event at which Pritzker appeared to promote the state-funded work of the so-called “Peacekeeper” program which the state and others have promoted as part of a solution to Chicago’s notorious violence problems.

Under the program, so-called “peacekeepers” are hired and deployed into violence-plagued neighborhoods to act as “violence interrupters,” ostensibly intervening in situations before they can escalate to shootings or other kinds of violence.

At the event, McMiller appeared alongside the governor, as an example of what the governor’s office touted as “trusted messengers” to the community.

Pritzker also reportedly said: “It’s folks like these that we need more of doing the hard work of community violence prevention, not troops on the ground to undermine efforts fighting crime.”

On Sept. 18, McMiller was arrested and charged with numerous felony counts, including first degree murder, for his part in a Sept. 11 smash-and-grab burglary at the Louis Vitton store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.

Video recorded a crew using a pickup truck to smash a window at the store and then loot it of merchandise.

The burglars then fled in various getaway vehicles, including a Kia Stinger that fled at 77 mph up Michigan Avenue and ultimately crashed into a Honda CR-V a few blocks away. The crash killed Mark Arceta, 40, who was driving the other vehicle and was on his way to work at Northwestern Memorial Hospital at the time.

According to prosecutors, it was supposed to have been Arceta’s final work shift before he went on paternity leave for the birth of his child. His fiancee reportedly gave birth to their son soon after Arceta’s death.

According to prosecutors, McMiller was not driving the vehicle that collided with Arceta’s car.

However, he and other members of the burglary crew who were later arrested were all charged with Arceta’s murder under Illinois state law.

After news of McMiller’s arrest, the governor’s office removed at least one photo of McMiller with the governor from the internet.

Others posted the photo, however, triggering reports connecting McMiller with the governor and including an image of McMiller with Pritzker at the event. Those reports included a statement from ther governor’s office, asserting Pritzker was “extremely troubled to learn that this individual was arrested for his alleged involvement in this serious crime, and we expect them to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Following on those reports, Judicial Watch then filed FOIA requests with the governor’s office. Those requests purportedly sought “all photographs, images, or visual media depicting Governor JB Pritzker and Kellen McMiller” at the Sept. 5 event; “communications (including emails, memos, text messages, notes, or logs) regarding the decision to include, remove, or edit the photo of Governor Pritzker and Kellen McMiller from any official state website, press release, or social media;” and “any background checks, vetting documents, participant lists, or selection criteria records related to Kellen McMiller’s involvement in the peacekeeper program or the September 5, 2025, event, including any knowledge of his criminal history, warrants, or prior interactions with state officials.”

According to the lawsuit, the governor’s office acknowledged receipt of Judicial Watch’s request, but then has essentially ignored the request ever since.

Judicial Watch has noted that at the time of the photo, McMiller was facing four active arrest warrants related to alleged crimes committed in Indiana, Wisconsin and Florida.

Judicial Watch is represented locally by attorney Christine Svenson, of Chalmers Adams Backer & Kaufman, of Palatine.

The governor’s office has not yet responded to the lawsuit in court.