Corruption in City of Chicago Hiring Process
Alan W. Reiner, Special Agent for the FBI has filed an affidavit made in support of a criminal complaint charging Patrick Slattery together with City of Chicago officials, devised, intended to devise and participated in a scheme and artifice to defraud the Chicago of money, property, and the intangible right to the honest services of defendant Slattery and the aforementioned City employees.
In particular, Slattery participated in a scheme in which he and his co-schemers routinely manipulated the interview and selection process for certain Department of Streets & Sanitation employment positions by conducting sham interviews, falsely inflating interview scores,and otherwise guaranteeing that certain pre-selected candidates who were favored by top City officials would win the employment positions, often to the exclusion of equally or more qualified candidates. This pre-selected status was granted by City officials at times because of the prospective employee’s: association with particular political organizations or unions; contributions of labor to certain political organizations or candidates; or other influence. This fraudulent interview process, as set forth more fully below, violates federal and state laws as well as City ordinances.
You can read the complete affadavit at Newsalert.
Ex-Bridgeport Village couple building a case against City Hall
Jose and Sandra Ruiz what they thought was their dream retirement home in the Bridgeport Village development, in Mayor Richard Daley’s11th Ward, for $900,000.
And now, according to a federal lawsuit they’ve filed against the Daley administration and some of the mayor’s political clique, they lost their home and their life savings due to corruption and clout.
Read the rest of the article at the Chicago Tribune.
Illinois Taxpayers Pay for Madigan Goons
In the world of political warfare, Shaw Decremer is a lieutenant. His troops: an army of state workers commanded by house speaker Michael Madigan. Their enemies respectfully call them “the Madigoons.”
A FOX Chicago News investigation found scores of supposedly full-time state employees, like Decremer, jumping on and off the state payroll to practice politics for their boss.
Read the rest of the article at myfoxchicago.com
Culture of Corruption in Cook County Government
The Chicago Tribune released this video regarding the Better Government Association’s Anti-Corruption Report. The report lists the nearly 150 people who have been convicted of corruption, what they did and how they did it.
The serious crimes include bribery, ghost payrolling and a myriad of other scams. This corruption has cost taxpayers billions of dollars, and has cost the county government a loss of public trust.
In this election year, now is the time to get involved and fight for reform!
Melrose Park Police Commander Sentenced to 60 Days in Jail
From the Sun-Times Media Wire
Chicago - “I was afraid and I did the wrong thing.” That’s what former commander of the Melrose Park Police Department, Guy “Ric” Cervone, told the federal judge when he was allowed to speak. That statement was one of more than 100 requests for the judge’s leniency during the sentencing hearing Tuesday.
Cervone, 50, was given 60 days in jail, a $5,000 fine and 250 hours of community service. His sentence was far less than the maximum of five years in prison that his one count of obstruction charge carried and it was less than the 16 months in prison that federal prosecutors were asking for.
Cervone was indicted in July 2007 as part of ex-Melrose Park Police Chief Vito Scavo’s operation to run a private security firm using public funds.
In July 2009, the day before Cervone was to stand federal trial, he changed his plea to guilty and admitted to corruptly influence and obstruct the administration of justice.
Between March 2003 and September 2005, Scavo directed Cervone to manipulate the police department’s time due records to make it appear that certain police officers earned more time due than they actually did, according to Cervone’s plea agreement.
Prosecutors said from 1999 to 2006 police officers were often paid twice: Performing their regular police duties and also working security or running errands for Scavo.
Cervone was commander from 2000 to 2005 and was in charge of creating and maintaining the police department’s time-due records — the accounting procedures for how officers were paid. He was the sole person at the police department during that time who created and maintained records on his computer at the police department, prosecutors said.
Cervone admitted to providing Melrose Park police officers Rocco Venute and Nello Barone with print-outs of falsified time-due records.
During the federal government’s investigation, Cervone asked Venute to lie to federal agents, according to testimony.
Cervone recited the mantra often used by other Melrose Park police officers about Scavo as to the reason for his actions: “You don’t say no to the chief.”
On Tuesday, Cervone pleaded with the judge for leniency, saying he has no children and takes care of his mother and his dogs and now is working to try to rebuild his life.
“I have lost everything,” he said, dressed in a black suit, white shirt and striped tie.
He said he is attending school to become an electrician and works as a janitor at Gottlieb Hospital in Melrose Park.
“I care for the community,” he said. “I would never do anything to hurt the community. I am doing everything to rebuild my life.”
He told the judge what he did was one mistake and it would never happen again.
“I promise this will be a one-time error,” he said.
Cervone’s plea along with about 100 letters of support from the community seemed to have an impact on the judge’s decision. About 15 people, made up of family and friends, were in the courtroom during the sentencing.
U.S. Judge Joan B. Gottschall, who presided over the case, said she believed Cervone would never commit a crime like this again, but believed some incarceration time was necessary.
She read excerpts from some of the letters she had received in court stating the positive impact he’s made in the community where he was a School District 89 board member.
“The community understands the severity of the offense,” Gottschall said. “As far as the community is concerned he has already been harshly punished.”
Cervone seemed somewhat satisfied and relieved with his sentence, but did not make a comment to the press. His federal staff attorney, Imani Chiphe, said he is satisfied with the judge’s decision.
“I think it was a fair and just sentencing,” he said. “She gave him the appropriate sentence.”
Cervone is scheduled to begin serving his sentence July 19.
Six years for Melrose Park police Chief Scavo
Former Melrose Park Police Chief Vito Scavo was sentenced to six years in prison today for extorting business owners in town to hire his private security firm — a considerable break in sentencing from the maximum 25 years prosecutors had sought.
Scavo apologized at the hearing before U.S. District Judge Joan Gottschall in Chicago, saying he knew he had embarrassed his family, friends and the village of Melrose Park.
You can read the entire article at the Sun-Times.
Ed & Dan Burke play while taxpayers pay
When it comes to conflicts of interest at City Hall, one degree of separation is no separation at all, except in the make-believe world of State Representative Dan Burke and his brother Alderman Ed Burke.
Read the full article at the Sun-Times.
Tobolski supporter, Melrose Park Mayor Ron Serpico & a mob-connected Porno Store
A Melrose Park pornography bookstore — run with the help of a former crooked cop with ties to the mob — offers a party room in the back where couples and singles have multiple sex partners as part of organized, late-night sessions.
Read the full story at the Chicago Sun-Times.
Residential Single Family Homeowners Pay for Downtown High-rise Owners
With all of us still in shock over our 1st installment real estate tax bills — billed now at 55% of last year total — downtown real estate interests benefit from assessment reductions, while owners of single family homes pay a grossly disproportionately higher share.
For those who don’t have Ald. Ed Burke, Speaker Mike Madigan or Senate President John Cullerton as lawyers for our real estate tax assessment appeals, they have to pay a disproportionately high real estate tax, as is citizen of Cicero, Cook County and taxpayer David Jenkins does.
This is yet another example of an ordinary citizen paying through the nose for the Chicago Way Corruption Tax that no other city in the nation pays to the same extent.
See for yourself at www.speakermadigan.com.
Download Watchdog Jenkins’ press release. - PDF
Moreno, along with Cicero Mayor and Melrose Park mayor endorse our opponent, Jeff Tobolski
Crain’s Greg Hinz blogs about a campaign donation received by Joseph Mario Moreno. The $25,000 donation was given on January 27 by the Mexican American Political Action Committee (MAPAC). MAPAC held a fundraiser for Moreno on January 6, receiving a $25,000 contribution from SAV-RxInc., who holds a three-year contract worth up to $30,680,000 to fill drug prescriptions by mail for patients in the county’s health care system.
Read Hinz’s complete article on ChicagoBusiness.com, and also know that Moreno just happens to support our opponent in the November election.
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