A former attorney in the McLean County Public Defender's office is officially off the job, at least temporarily. The Illinois Supreme Court announced on Friday that it has suspended Sean Lenckus' law license pending the results of criminal proceedings related to an allegation he made threats to harm another person.
Lenckus, 35, of Bloomington, is charged in federal court with five counts of interstate threats to injure. According to the state supreme court, Lenckus is accused of posting threats to kill African Americans in the comments section of various YouTube videos over the course of three years.
Lenckus was arrested in April after less than a year at McLean County. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is a 2017 graduate of Loyola University Chicago's law school and previously worked for the Grundy County State's Attorney's office and three separate private law firms before becoming an assistant public defender in May 2025.
The case was filed in the Central District federal court of Peoria. If convicted, Lenckus faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Emails to his attorney and McLean County Public Defender Ron Lewis were not returned.
Lenckus is next due in court for a pretrial conference Dec. 16. A jury trial is scheduled for Jan. 11, 2027.
