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Showing posts with label Rahm Emanuel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rahm Emanuel. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Happy Black History Month! Jussie Smollett Indicted - Wait For Detroit
Just wait for Detroit.
https://beverlytran.blogspot.com/search?q=Jussie+Smollett
Jssie Smollett, former 'Empire' actor, indicted again in connection with alleged Chicago attack, clerk's office says
A special prosecutor filed six new charges against Jussie Smollett Tuesday for filing false police reports in an alleged attack in Streeterville in January 2019.
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Cook County Clerk's Office confirmed Tuesday that special prosecutor Dan Webb has indicted former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett in connection with the alleged attack in Streeterville in January 2019.
Webb released a statement, saying a Cook County grand jury returned a six-count indictment against Smollett, charging him with making four separate false reports to Chicago police "related to his false claims that he was the victim of a hate crime, knowing he was not the victim of a crime."
Webb said he has arranged with Smollett's lawyers to have the actor voluntarily turn himself in for his arraignment on Feb. 24 at 9:30 a.m.
Smollett claimed he had been attacked by two men who yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him. He was originally charged with 16 counts of felony disorderly conduct for allegedly lying to police about the alleged attack. Police said Smollett staged the attack on himself because he was unhappy with his "Empire" salary.
WATCH: Timeline of Events in Jussie Smollett case
"Empire" actor and R&B singer Jussie Smollett told Chicago police in January that two men physically attacked him and yelled racial and homophobic slurs. There have been dozens of twists and turns since then.
Police and prosecutors said Smollett orchestrated the attack with the help of the Osundairo brothers. One brother was an extra on "Empire" and the other was Smollett's personal trainer.
The Osundairo brothers released a statement on the new charges, saying, "The Osundairo brothers are aware of the new charges brought against Jussie Smollett today by the grand jury. As stated before, they are fully committed to the public knowing the truth about what occurred on January 29, 2019. The Osundairo brothers will continue to cooperate with that process and they thank the Special Prosecutor's office for their tireless work in seeing that justice was administered."
All charges against Smollett were dropped in late February 2019 in exchange for community service and forfeiture of his $10,000 bond payment.
Webb, a former US Attorney in Chicago, was appointed as special prosecutor after the charges were dropped to review the Cook County State's Attorney's Office's decision.
Further prosecution of Smollett is "in the interest of justice," Webb said in a lengthy statement on the new charges Tuesday.
Webb said his investigation was into whether Smollett should be further prosecuted for alleged false police reports, and whether any person or office involved in the investigation engaged in any wrongdoing, including the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
He said he "disagrees with the state's attorney's" original decision to drop the charges against Smollett after he was initially indicted, said he found the evidence "was strong" and that the state's attorney provided no proof there was no evidence that would have justified dropping the case against the actor, or previous similar case history.
He said he has not yet reached any conclusions as to the second part of the investigation, including in regards to the State's Attorney's Office, and that his investigation into whether any person or office involved in the investigation engaged in wrongdoing is ongoing.
At a Tuesday afternoon news conference where a group of African American pastors were endorsing her, Webb was accused of trying to influence the March 17 primary in which Foxx's opponents have tried to make the Smollett case a political issue.
"It's very interesting that Dan Webb at this moment, as we are a month away from an election, is now offering charges," said Rev. Otis Moss, III. "This seems very similar to when James Comey intervened in reference to the national election, and so we are seeing, at this moment, some politicization of this particular election. And as a coalition we will not stand for people who are trying to step in and muddy the waters. We need people who are ethical, who are qualified, and who are progressive."
Foxx spoke at the same event.
"I am an elected leader and I have to be accountable for the actions of not only myself but my office. And I don't run from that responsibility," she said.
She added that, as she said before, she believes her mistake was in how transparent her office was about their handling of the Smollett case.
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office released a formal statement Tuesday afternoon, saying, "As the Cook County State's Attorney's Office does in all cases, the Special Prosecutor reviewed the facts, evidence, and the law, and determined charges were appropriate in this matter. We are unable to comment further as the matter is pending."
Cook County Judge Michael Toomin cited unprecedented irregularities in how State’s Attorney Kim Foxx handled the case - improperly recusing herself, but not her office, after having contact with Smollett representatives and then quietly dropping 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct.
Foxx had been in contact with a relative of Smollett and had been approached by former first lady Michelle Obama's one-time chief of staff on behalf of Smollett's family, and she explained at the time that she was recusing herself to avoid "even the perception of a conflict" of interest.
In his ruling, Toomin said he had no problem with Foxx's recusal, but that she had no right to select someone from her office to handle the prosecution, saying what she did amounted to naming her own special prosecutor.
"There isn't an office of the 'acting state's attorney.' It existed only ... in the imagination of Ms. Foxx," Judge Toomin said.
Foxx has been under fire for her handling the investigation, including from the Chicago Police Department and the former mayor. Her office charged Smollett with 16 counts of disorderly conduct after police concluded that Smollett had staged the early-morning Jan. 29 attack on himself and had paid two acquaintances to help him pull it off. But it stunningly dropped all of the charges weeks later, prompting an outcry from police and leading a former state appellate judge, Sheila O'Brien, to call for a special prosecutor.
In calling for a special prosecutor, O'Brien said it appeared to her and others that Smollett had "received special treatment" from Foxx's office.
“I did this because it had to be done and no one had done it,” she said. “The law of the special prosecutor is very obvious and it is very clear. It had to be done. Somebody had to do this and who was going to do it – the other state’s attorneys? They can’t do that to their own boss.
“The most important thing, as the judge indicated, the confidence in our judicial system will be restored to all of us; that this case will be handled by somebody who does not have a conflict,” O'Brien said.
Foxx defended her handling of the case and said she would welcome an independent investigation. But her office opposed such a special prosecutor, explaining that the investigation would just duplicate the efforts of a county inspector general's office probe that is already underway.
Jussie Smollett can still be tried for allegedly staging a racist and homophobic attack on himself.
Gloria Schmidt, the attorney for the Osundairo brothers who were allegedly paid by Smollett to stage the attack, said they are fully ready to cooperate.
Judge Orders Special Prosecutor To Examine Smollett Probe
CHICAGO (AP/WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A veteran Cook County Judge decided Friday that a special prosecutor will be appointed to look at how the Jussie Smollett case was handled by State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. Jussie Smollett could still face criminal charges.Cook County Judge Michael Toomin cited unprecedented irregularities in how State’s Attorney Kim Foxx handled the case - improperly recusing herself, but not her office, after having contact with Smollett representatives and then quietly dropping 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct.
Foxx had been in contact with a relative of Smollett and had been approached by former first lady Michelle Obama's one-time chief of staff on behalf of Smollett's family, and she explained at the time that she was recusing herself to avoid "even the perception of a conflict" of interest.
In his ruling, Toomin said he had no problem with Foxx's recusal, but that she had no right to select someone from her office to handle the prosecution, saying what she did amounted to naming her own special prosecutor.
"There isn't an office of the 'acting state's attorney.' It existed only ... in the imagination of Ms. Foxx," Judge Toomin said.
Foxx has been under fire for her handling the investigation, including from the Chicago Police Department and the former mayor. Her office charged Smollett with 16 counts of disorderly conduct after police concluded that Smollett had staged the early-morning Jan. 29 attack on himself and had paid two acquaintances to help him pull it off. But it stunningly dropped all of the charges weeks later, prompting an outcry from police and leading a former state appellate judge, Sheila O'Brien, to call for a special prosecutor.
In calling for a special prosecutor, O'Brien said it appeared to her and others that Smollett had "received special treatment" from Foxx's office.
“I did this because it had to be done and no one had done it,” she said. “The law of the special prosecutor is very obvious and it is very clear. It had to be done. Somebody had to do this and who was going to do it – the other state’s attorneys? They can’t do that to their own boss.
“The most important thing, as the judge indicated, the confidence in our judicial system will be restored to all of us; that this case will be handled by somebody who does not have a conflict,” O'Brien said.
Foxx defended her handling of the case and said she would welcome an independent investigation. But her office opposed such a special prosecutor, explaining that the investigation would just duplicate the efforts of a county inspector general's office probe that is already underway.
Jussie Smollett can still be tried for allegedly staging a racist and homophobic attack on himself.
Gloria Schmidt, the attorney for the Osundairo brothers who were allegedly paid by Smollett to stage the attack, said they are fully ready to cooperate.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Monday, October 28, 2019
Trump & Law Enforcement In Chicago For Partnerships & Indictments
Remember, it is all about the psyoptics and timing.
Did someone say Rahm Emanuel?
Feds allege state Rep. Luis Arroyo caught on undercover recording paying $2,500 bribe. ‘This is the jackpot.’
State Rep. Luis Arroyo, leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Oct. 28, 2019. Arroyo has been charged for allegedly agreeing to pay a state senator $2,500 a month in bribes in exchange for the senator’s support on legislation involving video gambling sweepstakes games that would benefit one of Arroyo’s lobbying clients.State Rep. Luis Arroyo was supposed to be with his fellow lawmakers in Springfield on Monday for the first day of the busy fall veto session.
Instead, the Chicago Democrat was ducking reporters as he left the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago, where he was the latest elected official to be charged in what’s become a sprawling federal public corruption investigation.
Arroyo, 65, an assistant majority leader who has been in office since 2006, was charged with one count of federal program bribery alleging he agreed to pay a state senator $2,500 a month in kickbacks in exchange for the senator’s support on legislation involving video gambling sweepstakes games that would benefit one of Arroyo’s lobbying clients.
The 13-page criminal complaint, made public Monday, revealed that the undisclosed state senator allegedly targeted by Arroyo first began cooperating with the FBI in 2016 but was terminated as a confidential source after it was revealed he had filed false income tax returns.
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The senator later agreed to cooperate with the FBI again in the hopes for a break at sentencing on expected tax fraud charges, according to the complaint.
The senator was wearing a wire when Arroyo delivered the first of the promised $2,500 checks at a restaurant in Skokie on Aug. 22, the charges said.
“This is, this is the jackpot,” the complaint quoted Arroyo as telling the senator as he handed over the check.
Additional monthly $2,500 payments were expected to be made over the next six to 12 months, federal authorities alleged.
The charge against Arroyo marked the latest in a series of ongoing federal probes that have rocked political circles from Chicago to Springfield. Arroyo is the third elected official to be charged so far, joining longtime Chicago Ald. Edward Burke and state Sen. Thomas Cullerton.
Records show the FBI is also investigating state Sen. Martin Sandoval, Cook County Commissioner and McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski, Lyons Mayor Chris Getty, Chicago Ald. Carrie Austin and officials in the suburbs of Summit and Cicero.
A separate probe delving into the lobbying practices of utility giant Commonwealth Edison has led to FBI raids on current and former lawmakers and political operatives, including several who are close confidants of House Speaker Michael Madigan.
None of those officials has been charged.
Arroyo, meanwhile, made his initial appearance in federal court Monday morning on one count of federal program bribery.
Clad in a gray suit with his hands folded in front of him, Arroyo answered “Yes” in a low voice when U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez asked if he understood his constitutional rights.
Arroyo, who was released on his own recognizance, was ordered to have no contact with anyone involved in the charges, including the senator and an undisclosed business owner whom Arroyo was allegedly trying to assist in the scheme.
Arroyo left the downtown courthouse without comment Monday afternoon, hurrying past reporters and cameramen into a waiting SUV that sped off down Dearborn Street. His lawyer, Michael Gillespie, also had no comment.
Arroyo’s court appearance came not long before the state House convened in Springfield for the first day of the fall veto session.
Madigan, the powerful Chicago Democrat, and House GOP leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs both called on Arroyo to step down or each vowed to begin the process to remove him from office under House rules. Madigan said he’d been told by Arroyo’s attorney that the legislator planned to resign as chair of the House Appropriations-Capital Committee.
“The actions today go to the heart of public trust in state government,” Durkin said. “Today begins the process of cleaning up this chamber.”
Madigan issued a statement calling for the strengthening of state ethics and lobbying laws. As he left a meeting Monday of the House Democratic caucus, a reporter asked about federal investigators seeking information about Madigan in a subpoena and search warrant served on the City Club of Chicago as part of a probe into whether ComEd hired politically connected lobbyists to curry favor with lawmakers in exchange for favorable action at the Illinois Capitol.
“I’m not a target of anything,” Madigan said.
According to the charges unveiled Monday, the undisclosed state senator told the FBI that Arroyo had approached him about "the passage of sweepstakes-related legislation” during the House’s spring session.
Arroyo is a manager of a lobbying firm called Spartacus 3 LLC, which includes as a client the owner of a company involved in video sweepstakes machines, according to the complaint.
In early August, Arroyo texted the senator asking to meet at a restaurant in Highland Park, according to the complaint. Also at the meeting was the company owner, identified only as Individual A, as well as one of the owner’s associates.
During the meeting, Arroyo said he was going to introduce a “trailer bill” in the veto session expanding the use of sweepstakes games and offered to make periodic payments to the senator in exchange for his support, according to the complaint. Arroyo told the businessman during the conversation that he wouldn’t be able to enlist the senator’s support unless it was legal.
“I cannot work as a legislator with somebody if it’s illegal,” Arroyo was quoted as saying. “I just can’t. ... I cannot be part of something illegal. That’s just like being part of the mob or being part of a gang that’s selling drugs.”
Arroyo then asked the senator to “carry the bill,” explaining that he doesn’t “have nobody in the Senate.”
After the senator told Arroyo to send him some language for the proposed bill, the two politicians left the table to speak privately, carrying on their conversation outside the restaurant as FBI agents conducted surveillance, according to the complaint.
“This is you and I talkin’ now. Nobody else," the senator said, according to the complaint.
“Whatever you tell me stays between you and me,” Arroyo allegedly responded. “That’s my word.”
During their purportedly private talk, the senator told Arroyo he was “in the twilight” of his career and was “looking for something" to bolster his income. Arroyo said he would “make sure that you’re rewarded for what you do, for what we’re gonna do moving forward,” the complaint alleged.
“Let’s be clear ... my word is my bond and my, my reputation,” Arroyo allegedly said.
Three weeks later, on Aug. 22, Arroyo and the senator met at the Skokie restaurant, the complaint alleged. Arroyo made the “jackpot” comment as he handed over the $2,500 check — written to a third party to disguise the purpose for the payoff, according to the charges.
“I’m not too happy about doing this, but I’m doin’ it for ya," the senator said near the end of the conversation.
“I know you’re not,” Arroyo allegedly replied.
Born in Puerto Rico in 1954, Arroyo migrated to New York with his family at age 5 and moved to Chicago as a teen, according to the biography on his district website. He began his career in public service as an employee with the city’s water department before being appointed to his House seat in 2006 and winning election two years later.
In recent years, Arroyo has fought former Cook County Democratic Party Chairman Joe Berrios for political control on the city’s Northwest Side.
Arroyo backed Milly Santiago in 2015 for alderman of the 31st Ward, Berrios’ original base. She defeated longtime incumbent Ray Suarez, a close ally of Berrios. Santiago also was backed by Cook County Commissioner Luis Arroyo Jr., the representative’s son.
Earlier this year, Felix Cardona Jr., who worked under Berrios at the Cook County assessor’s office, defeated Santiago to become 31st Ward alderman.
The father and son also backed Ald. Gilbert Villegas in his first run in 2015. He beat a Berrios-backed candidate in that 36th Ward race.
When Berrios stepped down as Democratic Party chairman after losing his primary bid for another term as county assessor, the elder Arroyo initially ran for party chairman, pulling out of that contest when it became clear Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, a Berrios’ ally, would win.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Thursday, October 3, 2019
We Have Everything - Clinton & Her Rogue Ass Crew Emails - We Do Not Need The Servers - We Have The Content
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Thursday, September 26, 2019
FBI Sandoval Raids Continue In Illinois
It seems the Illinois FBI will be busy, busy, busy for quite some time.
LYONS, Ill. (CBS) — Federal agents raided the village halls in southwest suburban McCook and neighboring Lyons on Thursday, the FBI confirmed.
The FBI also raided Getty Insurance on Ogden Avenue in Lyons, which according to the Village of Lyons website is owned by the family of Lyons Mayor Christopher Getty. The mayor serves as president of the agency.
It was unclear Thursday afternoon whether Getty was personally a target of the investigation.
The FBI Chicago office confirmed agents were “conducting an authorized law enforcement action” at the McCook and Lyons village halls, but declined further comment.
The FBI also confirmed they were at the Summit Village Hall for investigative activity Thursday afternoon. The agency characterized their visit to Summit differently from those to Lyons, McCook, and the insurance agency.
As night fell Thursday, there was still no clarity on what the FBI was looking for or if the raids were connected, CBS 2’s Chris Tye reported.
Jeff Tobolski is the mayor of McCook and is also a Cook County commissioner, but it’s unclear if the investigation is tied directly to him. CBS 2 has confirmed that Mayor Tobolski called in sick and bought everybody lunch on Thursday.
The raids in McCook and Lyons come two days after federal agents raided Illinois State Sen. Martin Sandoval’s office at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield and his home in the Gage Park neighborhood on Tuesday.
McCook and Lyons are part of Sandoval’s district, but it is unclear of the two investigations are related.
However, the Sandoval, Getty, and Tobolski are political allies who have contributed to each other’s campaigns for elected office.
Campaign finance records show, since 2010, Sandoval has donated at least $2,000 to Tobolski’s campaign fund, Friends of Jeffrey Tobolski.
Since 2009, Tobolski has made at least eight donations totaling $17,250 combined to Sandoval’s campaign fund, Friends of Martin A. Sandoval; and the campaign fund for Sandoval’s daughter, Angie, who ran for the county board in 2018.
Since 2010, Tobolski had made at least 10 donations to Getty’s campaign fund, Citizens for Christopher Getty, totaling $10,750.
Getty donated $250 to Sandoval’s campaign in 2011, and has made at least 12 donations to Tobolski’s campaign fund since 2010, totaling $4,050.
The politicians’ donating to each other’s campaigns is completely legal, but they demonstrate the political support between them.
The FBI told CBS 2 that no more raids were expected Thursday night.
CBS 2 also reached out to all the key players mentioned in this report. None returned our calls.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Federal Agents Raid Village Halls In McCook, Lyons
LYONS, Ill. (CBS) — Federal agents raided the village halls in southwest suburban McCook and neighboring Lyons on Thursday, the FBI confirmed.
The FBI also raided Getty Insurance on Ogden Avenue in Lyons, which according to the Village of Lyons website is owned by the family of Lyons Mayor Christopher Getty. The mayor serves as president of the agency.
It was unclear Thursday afternoon whether Getty was personally a target of the investigation.
The FBI Chicago office confirmed agents were “conducting an authorized law enforcement action” at the McCook and Lyons village halls, but declined further comment.
The FBI also confirmed they were at the Summit Village Hall for investigative activity Thursday afternoon. The agency characterized their visit to Summit differently from those to Lyons, McCook, and the insurance agency.
As night fell Thursday, there was still no clarity on what the FBI was looking for or if the raids were connected, CBS 2’s Chris Tye reported.
Jeff Tobolski is the mayor of McCook and is also a Cook County commissioner, but it’s unclear if the investigation is tied directly to him. CBS 2 has confirmed that Mayor Tobolski called in sick and bought everybody lunch on Thursday.
The raids in McCook and Lyons come two days after federal agents raided Illinois State Sen. Martin Sandoval’s office at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield and his home in the Gage Park neighborhood on Tuesday.
McCook and Lyons are part of Sandoval’s district, but it is unclear of the two investigations are related.
However, the Sandoval, Getty, and Tobolski are political allies who have contributed to each other’s campaigns for elected office.
Campaign finance records show, since 2010, Sandoval has donated at least $2,000 to Tobolski’s campaign fund, Friends of Jeffrey Tobolski.
Since 2009, Tobolski has made at least eight donations totaling $17,250 combined to Sandoval’s campaign fund, Friends of Martin A. Sandoval; and the campaign fund for Sandoval’s daughter, Angie, who ran for the county board in 2018.
Since 2010, Tobolski had made at least 10 donations to Getty’s campaign fund, Citizens for Christopher Getty, totaling $10,750.
Getty donated $250 to Sandoval’s campaign in 2011, and has made at least 12 donations to Tobolski’s campaign fund since 2010, totaling $4,050.
The politicians’ donating to each other’s campaigns is completely legal, but they demonstrate the political support between them.
The FBI told CBS 2 that no more raids were expected Thursday night.
CBS 2 also reached out to all the key players mentioned in this report. None returned our calls.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Illinois Senator Sandoval Gets Raided By FBI & IRS
FUN FACT! THE CHICAGO FEDERAL RESERVE IS IN DETROIT
Federal agents on Tuesday raided the Springfield and Cicero offices of longtime Democratic state Sen. Martin Sandoval as well as his family’s Southwest Side home as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
Investigators are looking into allegations Sandoval used his official position to steer business to at least one company in exchange for kickbacks, a source with knowledge of the case told the Chicago Tribune.
No criminal charges had been filed. Sandoval, who has been in office for 17 years and chairs the influential Senate Transportation Committee, could not be reached on Tuesday, and calls to his office were not returned.
In what has become a familiar scene in Illinois, FBI and IRS agents spent hours behind closed doors in Sandoval’s offices in the state capitol, where an agent stationed in a nearby hallway turned back a Tribune reporter seeking comment.
Shortly after 12:30 p.m., at least eight men left the Senate Democratic offices carrying cardboard boxes, two brown bags labeled “evidence” and what appeared to be a desktop computer wrapped in plastic. News cameras rolled as the agents left the building, loaded the material into two SUVs and drove off.
At about the same time nearly 200 miles away, agents executed search warrants at Sandoval’s district office in the 5800 block of West 35th Street in Cicero, as well as his longtime family home in Gage Park, sources told the Tribune.
A man who answered the door at Sandoval’s brick, three-story building Tuesday said the legislator was not home. Later, two officials with duty belts and handcuffs came out of the home to get wheeled hand trucks, taking them inside. One identified himself as from the IRS criminal division.
An FBI spokesman confirmed that agents were at the capitol conducting “authorized law enforcement activity,” but declined to comment further.
The raids marked the latest in a slew of ongoing public corruption probes that have sent shock waves from City Hall to Springfield over the past 10 months.
In November 2018, the FBI took over the City Hall offices of longtime Ald. Edward Burke, who at the time was the powerful chairman of the Finance Committee, and papered over windows with brown butcher paper before leaving down a back staircase with computers and files. Burke has since been indicted on sweeping racketeering charges alleging he used his clout to steer business to his private law firm. He has pleaded not guilty.
In June, a similar scene played out when agents executed search warrants at the Far South Side ward office of influential Ald. Carrie Austin, 34th, the second longest-serving active member of the City Council. Austin has not been charged.
Sandoval is also the second state senator to come under the cloud of a federal investigation.
Last month, his colleague Sen. Thomas E. Cullerton of Villa Park was indicted on embezzlement charges alleging he pocketed almost $275,000 in salary and benefits from the Teamsters union despite doing little or no work. Cullerton has pleaded not guilty.
Editorial: Assassinating civility: The knucklehead factor in Illinois politics »
Born in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the city’s South Side, Sandoval, 55, first won election to the Senate in 2002 with the support of former Mayor Richard M. Daley and the now-defunct Hispanic Democratic Organization, a patronage army that crumbled amid a federal investigation into hiring practices at City Hall.
Controversy has often dogged Sandoval’s political career. In 2011, Sandoval was among a handful of lawmakers whose legislative scholarship records were reviewed by federal authorities after state education officials sent them over. The centuryold scholarship program, long riddled with abuse, eventually was abolished.
Last month, Sandoval faced national criticism after photos showing a man pointing a fake gun used as a novelty beverage dispenser at someone wearing a mask depicting President Donald Trump were taken at a political fundraiser hosted by the senator and posted on social media.
Sandoval apologized, said he wasn’t aware of the incident when it occurred and blamed it on a vendor hired to provide music and entertainment.
Sandoval currently makes $80,038 as a legislator, including a stipend of $10,574 for his committee chairmanship, state records show.
He serves a Southwest Side district that shares half of its territory with powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat who has worked with Sandoval over the years on a variety of legislative issues but also been at odds with the senator at times.
In the March 2018 Democratic primary, Sandoval supported the candidacy of his daughter, Angie Sandoval, for the county board seat vacated by Jesus “Chuy” Garcia when he ran for Congress. Madigan’s 13th Ward organization, however, went with the victorious Alma Anaya, who was supported by Garcia.
As Senate transportation chairman, Sandoval was positioned to play a key role in implementing the massive $45 billion construction program pushed through the General Assembly and signed into law by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier this year.
But his position on the committee has also drawn criticism. In 2015and 2016, Sandoval interceded on behalf of a campaign donor that stood to make millions off red light cameras at an intersection straddling Oak Brook and Oakbrook Terrace, the Tribune has reported.
The Illinois Department of Transportation originally said the intersection was too safe to need cameras, but Sandoval asked IDOT to change its mind. At one point, Sandoval told IDOT he wanted to help the agency but “wasn’t getting the type of cooperation on his issues that he would like to see,” according to emails uncovered by the newspaper.
IDOT then approved Oakbrook Terrace’s application.
Meanwhile, Safespeed, the company that had lobbied for the cameras, and its owners collectively donated tens of thousands of dollars to Sandoval’s campaign coffers, including one contribution for $10,000 in September 2016 that at the time was the largest single donation the firm had given anyone.
Oak Brook later passed an ordinance complaining the cameras were part of a process that sought to "corrupt local law enforcement” and enrich political leaders, but the village eventually dropped a lawsuit seeking to ban the cameras from the corner.
Oakbrook Terrace Mayor Tony Ragucci told the Tribune on Tuesday that the village has not received any requests for information from federal authorities related to the camera controversy.
The chief critic of the deal — Oak Brook council member Michael Manzo — said he still believes the cameras should be taken down. When asked if he’s spoken with the FBI, he declined comment.
More recently, Sandoval was named in a federal lawsuit alleging the senator used his influence as Transportation Committee chairman to get his son a job in 2016 as a community relations representative at Pace Suburban Bus Service.
The plaintiff, Lawrence Gress of Dowers Grove, alleged he was subjected to a “sham interview” and passed over for the job in favor of Sandoval’s son, Martin Sandoval II, who is some 40 years younger and vastly less experienced.
Pace has denied the allegations, which include a civil racketeering conspiracy. An attorney for Sandoval could not be reached immediately.
With Tuesday’s raids, Sandoval became the latest political associate of Madigan to face federal scrutiny.
In mid-May, the FBI raided the homes of former lobbyist Mike McClain of Quincy, a longtime Madigan confidant, and ex-23rd Ward Ald. Michael Zalewski.
The information the FBI was seeking included records of communications among Madigan, McClain and Zalewski related to attempts to get ComEd lobbying work for Zalewski, the Tribune has reported.
Sandoval’s daughter, Angie, works for ComEd as a senior account representative.
Also in mid-May, the FBI raided the Chicago home of Ald. Marty Quinn’s brother, Kevin Quinn, a political and government operative Madigan parted ways with last year amid sexual harassment allegations. One source told the Tribune the federal government showed an interest in computers in Kevin Quinn’s home.
Last month, the Tribune disclosed that a Cook County grand jury has subpoenaed election records regarding the reelection bid of Madigan’s handpicked Ald. Marty Quinn, who serves in the Southwest Side ward where Madigan has reigned as committeeman for decades.
Sandoval’s political connection to Madigan was solidified in 2011, when his Senate district was redrawn following the census to overlap with Madigan’s House district.
Under the mapmaking, which Madigan oversaw with Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago — a distant cousin to Thomas Cullerton — the speaker was placed in a growing Latino district on the Southwest Side.
At the time, Sandoval embraced the move.
“The Irish and the Latinos have had a long history of shared immigrant values, hard work ethic and religious faith,” Sandoval told the Tribune in 2011. “We’re both White Sox fans, and now we’ll share a majority Hispanic district. I look forward to having the Madigans over for a traditional home-style Mexican barbecue."
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Federal agents raid Springfield, Cicero offices of Illinois Sen. Martin Sandoval, source says
Federal agents on Tuesday raided the Springfield and Cicero offices of longtime Democratic state Sen. Martin Sandoval as well as his family’s Southwest Side home as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.Investigators are looking into allegations Sandoval used his official position to steer business to at least one company in exchange for kickbacks, a source with knowledge of the case told the Chicago Tribune.
No criminal charges had been filed. Sandoval, who has been in office for 17 years and chairs the influential Senate Transportation Committee, could not be reached on Tuesday, and calls to his office were not returned.
In what has become a familiar scene in Illinois, FBI and IRS agents spent hours behind closed doors in Sandoval’s offices in the state capitol, where an agent stationed in a nearby hallway turned back a Tribune reporter seeking comment.
Shortly after 12:30 p.m., at least eight men left the Senate Democratic offices carrying cardboard boxes, two brown bags labeled “evidence” and what appeared to be a desktop computer wrapped in plastic. News cameras rolled as the agents left the building, loaded the material into two SUVs and drove off.
At about the same time nearly 200 miles away, agents executed search warrants at Sandoval’s district office in the 5800 block of West 35th Street in Cicero, as well as his longtime family home in Gage Park, sources told the Tribune.A man who answered the door at Sandoval’s brick, three-story building Tuesday said the legislator was not home. Later, two officials with duty belts and handcuffs came out of the home to get wheeled hand trucks, taking them inside. One identified himself as from the IRS criminal division.
An FBI spokesman confirmed that agents were at the capitol conducting “authorized law enforcement activity,” but declined to comment further.
The raids marked the latest in a slew of ongoing public corruption probes that have sent shock waves from City Hall to Springfield over the past 10 months.
In November 2018, the FBI took over the City Hall offices of longtime Ald. Edward Burke, who at the time was the powerful chairman of the Finance Committee, and papered over windows with brown butcher paper before leaving down a back staircase with computers and files. Burke has since been indicted on sweeping racketeering charges alleging he used his clout to steer business to his private law firm. He has pleaded not guilty.
In June, a similar scene played out when agents executed search warrants at the Far South Side ward office of influential Ald. Carrie Austin, 34th, the second longest-serving active member of the City Council. Austin has not been charged.
Sandoval is also the second state senator to come under the cloud of a federal investigation.
Last month, his colleague Sen. Thomas E. Cullerton of Villa Park was indicted on embezzlement charges alleging he pocketed almost $275,000 in salary and benefits from the Teamsters union despite doing little or no work. Cullerton has pleaded not guilty.
Editorial: Assassinating civility: The knucklehead factor in Illinois politics »
Born in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the city’s South Side, Sandoval, 55, first won election to the Senate in 2002 with the support of former Mayor Richard M. Daley and the now-defunct Hispanic Democratic Organization, a patronage army that crumbled amid a federal investigation into hiring practices at City Hall.
Controversy has often dogged Sandoval’s political career. In 2011, Sandoval was among a handful of lawmakers whose legislative scholarship records were reviewed by federal authorities after state education officials sent them over. The centuryold scholarship program, long riddled with abuse, eventually was abolished.
Last month, Sandoval faced national criticism after photos showing a man pointing a fake gun used as a novelty beverage dispenser at someone wearing a mask depicting President Donald Trump were taken at a political fundraiser hosted by the senator and posted on social media.
Sandoval apologized, said he wasn’t aware of the incident when it occurred and blamed it on a vendor hired to provide music and entertainment.Sandoval currently makes $80,038 as a legislator, including a stipend of $10,574 for his committee chairmanship, state records show.
He serves a Southwest Side district that shares half of its territory with powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat who has worked with Sandoval over the years on a variety of legislative issues but also been at odds with the senator at times.
In the March 2018 Democratic primary, Sandoval supported the candidacy of his daughter, Angie Sandoval, for the county board seat vacated by Jesus “Chuy” Garcia when he ran for Congress. Madigan’s 13th Ward organization, however, went with the victorious Alma Anaya, who was supported by Garcia.
As Senate transportation chairman, Sandoval was positioned to play a key role in implementing the massive $45 billion construction program pushed through the General Assembly and signed into law by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier this year.
But his position on the committee has also drawn criticism. In 2015and 2016, Sandoval interceded on behalf of a campaign donor that stood to make millions off red light cameras at an intersection straddling Oak Brook and Oakbrook Terrace, the Tribune has reported.
The Illinois Department of Transportation originally said the intersection was too safe to need cameras, but Sandoval asked IDOT to change its mind. At one point, Sandoval told IDOT he wanted to help the agency but “wasn’t getting the type of cooperation on his issues that he would like to see,” according to emails uncovered by the newspaper.
IDOT then approved Oakbrook Terrace’s application.
Meanwhile, Safespeed, the company that had lobbied for the cameras, and its owners collectively donated tens of thousands of dollars to Sandoval’s campaign coffers, including one contribution for $10,000 in September 2016 that at the time was the largest single donation the firm had given anyone.
Oak Brook later passed an ordinance complaining the cameras were part of a process that sought to "corrupt local law enforcement” and enrich political leaders, but the village eventually dropped a lawsuit seeking to ban the cameras from the corner.
Oakbrook Terrace Mayor Tony Ragucci told the Tribune on Tuesday that the village has not received any requests for information from federal authorities related to the camera controversy.
The chief critic of the deal — Oak Brook council member Michael Manzo — said he still believes the cameras should be taken down. When asked if he’s spoken with the FBI, he declined comment.
More recently, Sandoval was named in a federal lawsuit alleging the senator used his influence as Transportation Committee chairman to get his son a job in 2016 as a community relations representative at Pace Suburban Bus Service.
The plaintiff, Lawrence Gress of Dowers Grove, alleged he was subjected to a “sham interview” and passed over for the job in favor of Sandoval’s son, Martin Sandoval II, who is some 40 years younger and vastly less experienced.
Pace has denied the allegations, which include a civil racketeering conspiracy. An attorney for Sandoval could not be reached immediately.
With Tuesday’s raids, Sandoval became the latest political associate of Madigan to face federal scrutiny.
In mid-May, the FBI raided the homes of former lobbyist Mike McClain of Quincy, a longtime Madigan confidant, and ex-23rd Ward Ald. Michael Zalewski.
The information the FBI was seeking included records of communications among Madigan, McClain and Zalewski related to attempts to get ComEd lobbying work for Zalewski, the Tribune has reported.
Sandoval’s daughter, Angie, works for ComEd as a senior account representative.
Also in mid-May, the FBI raided the Chicago home of Ald. Marty Quinn’s brother, Kevin Quinn, a political and government operative Madigan parted ways with last year amid sexual harassment allegations. One source told the Tribune the federal government showed an interest in computers in Kevin Quinn’s home.
Last month, the Tribune disclosed that a Cook County grand jury has subpoenaed election records regarding the reelection bid of Madigan’s handpicked Ald. Marty Quinn, who serves in the Southwest Side ward where Madigan has reigned as committeeman for decades.
Sandoval’s political connection to Madigan was solidified in 2011, when his Senate district was redrawn following the census to overlap with Madigan’s House district.
Under the mapmaking, which Madigan oversaw with Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago — a distant cousin to Thomas Cullerton — the speaker was placed in a growing Latino district on the Southwest Side.
At the time, Sandoval embraced the move.
“The Irish and the Latinos have had a long history of shared immigrant values, hard work ethic and religious faith,” Sandoval told the Tribune in 2011. “We’re both White Sox fans, and now we’ll share a majority Hispanic district. I look forward to having the Madigans over for a traditional home-style Mexican barbecue."
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Thursday, September 19, 2019
UAW Strike - Day 3 - Congressional Hearing Dropped In The Negotiation Plan - TARP
It seems there are those in Congress who possess the political fortitude to prepare hearings on decades of UAW corruption.
Unfortunately, it seems these brave "Elected Ones" are just going to have to breakdown and speak upon TARP, but probably not, because we are probably going to see the art of deflection.
Have no fear, the UAW has a formidable history that shall not be bleachedbitted, and it all started in Detroit, but no one will #sayhisname.
Washington — Republican lawmakers on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee are calling for Congress to investigate what they call "widespread, brazen lawbreaking" at the United Auto Workers union.
U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, and his colleague U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-NC, wrote in a letter to the top ranking Democrats on the Democratic-controlled U.S. House Education and Labor Committee that the panel should "hold a public hearing on the ongoing federal investigation of the United Auto Workers union for violating the Labor Management Relations Act."
They said it was "essential the committee confront the widespread, brazen lawbreaking by union leaders who purport to represent nearly 150,000 American autoworkers but have betrayed their trust in favor of self—enrichment."
The UAW, which is striking against General Motors Co., is in the midst of a union corruption scandal that has produced nine convictions, and last week led to a regional UAW director being charged. The federal investigation has implicated UAW President Gary Jones and his predecessor, Dennis Williams. Investigators allege the two are part of a multi-year conspiracy that involves misusing member dues and squandering them on poolside villa rentals in Palm Springs, booze, cigars, more than 100 rounds of golf and spending sprees at pro shops.
Walberg and Foxx said in their letter: "Since 2017, federal investigators have uncovered more than a decade of rampant corruption among the senior ranks of the UAW, which has included money laundering, tax fraud, bribery, and embezzling workers’ hard-earned union dues for lavish personal expenses."
Brian Rothenberg, a UAW spokesman, said in a statement: "The UAW and its membership are focused on taking care of GM and Aramark members to make sure they have quality health care insurance, as well as adequate pay and benefits.
"GM’s decision to cut access to health insurance for 48,000 members makes this an urgent issue for autoworkers right now," he said. "That is where all of our focus continues to be – on our members.”
Rothenberg's statement did not address the calls for congressional investigation of the UAW's leadership.
Everything you need to know about the UAW strike and corruption scandal
The call for a congressional investigation into the UAW's corruption scandal could put Democrats in Washington in a bind. Democratic lawmakers have been careful to stand alongside UAW rank-and-file members during the strike, while largely avoiding comment on the union and its leadership.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, both Democrats, joined picket lines on Monday to march with union members. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, marched with striking GM workers Thursday.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Unfortunately, it seems these brave "Elected Ones" are just going to have to breakdown and speak upon TARP, but probably not, because we are probably going to see the art of deflection.
Have no fear, the UAW has a formidable history that shall not be bleachedbitted, and it all started in Detroit, but no one will #sayhisname.
GOP lawmakers call for hearing on 'widespread, brazen lawbreaking' at UAW
Washington — Republican lawmakers on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee are calling for Congress to investigate what they call "widespread, brazen lawbreaking" at the United Auto Workers union.U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, and his colleague U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-NC, wrote in a letter to the top ranking Democrats on the Democratic-controlled U.S. House Education and Labor Committee that the panel should "hold a public hearing on the ongoing federal investigation of the United Auto Workers union for violating the Labor Management Relations Act."
They said it was "essential the committee confront the widespread, brazen lawbreaking by union leaders who purport to represent nearly 150,000 American autoworkers but have betrayed their trust in favor of self—enrichment."
The UAW, which is striking against General Motors Co., is in the midst of a union corruption scandal that has produced nine convictions, and last week led to a regional UAW director being charged. The federal investigation has implicated UAW President Gary Jones and his predecessor, Dennis Williams. Investigators allege the two are part of a multi-year conspiracy that involves misusing member dues and squandering them on poolside villa rentals in Palm Springs, booze, cigars, more than 100 rounds of golf and spending sprees at pro shops.
Walberg and Foxx said in their letter: "Since 2017, federal investigators have uncovered more than a decade of rampant corruption among the senior ranks of the UAW, which has included money laundering, tax fraud, bribery, and embezzling workers’ hard-earned union dues for lavish personal expenses."
Brian Rothenberg, a UAW spokesman, said in a statement: "The UAW and its membership are focused on taking care of GM and Aramark members to make sure they have quality health care insurance, as well as adequate pay and benefits.
"GM’s decision to cut access to health insurance for 48,000 members makes this an urgent issue for autoworkers right now," he said. "That is where all of our focus continues to be – on our members.”
Rothenberg's statement did not address the calls for congressional investigation of the UAW's leadership.
Everything you need to know about the UAW strike and corruption scandal
The call for a congressional investigation into the UAW's corruption scandal could put Democrats in Washington in a bind. Democratic lawmakers have been careful to stand alongside UAW rank-and-file members during the strike, while largely avoiding comment on the union and its leadership.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, both Democrats, joined picket lines on Monday to march with union members. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, marched with striking GM workers Thursday.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Friday, August 23, 2019
Cocktails & Popcorn: What Do A Special Prosecutor, Jussie Smollet, Bobby Rush, Hillary Clinton & Rahm Emanuel Have In Common?
Q: What do a special prosecutor, Jessie Smollet, Bobby Rush, Hillary Clinton & Rahm Emanuel have in common?
A: The Children's Defense Fund.
Dem Rep. Bobby Rush Defends Handling Of Smollett Case: "Police Sworn Enemy Of Black People"
Special prosecutor named to look into Jussie Smollett case
CHICAGO (AP) — A judge appointed a special prosecutor Friday to look into why the Chicago state's attorney's office abruptly dropped the case against Jussie Smollett, leaving open the possibility that the former "Empire" actor could yet face charges in what police say was a phony attack on himself that he staged to get attention.
Smollett, who is black and gay, maintains that he was the target of a racist and homophobic attack in January. But if the special prosecutor, former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb, determines that the charges shouldn't have been dropped, he could recommend that they be reinstated or that new charges be brought.
Webb, who was appointed by Cook County Judge Michael Toomin during a Friday hearing, told reporters afterward that he would move the investigation along as quickly as possible. Such probes typically include impaneling a special grand jury, issuing subpoenas, taking witness statements and a final report.
"I intend to expedite everything. But the facts will take me where they take me," Webb said. "I'm going to start fresh and see where it goes."
The Cook County state's attorney's office charged Smollett in February with 16 counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly staging the attack and lying about it to investigators. However, it dropped the charges a month later with little explanation, angering city officials and the police.
Webb, who served as U.S. attorney in Chicago during the 1980s before going on to become arguably the city's most high-profile defense attorney of the last few decades, has been tapped to serve as a special prosecutor on five previous occasions. His list of high-profile clients has included former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, tobacco company Philip Morris and, more recently, Ukrainian energy oligarch Dymitro Firtash.
As a special prosecutor in 2012, Webb was asked to reopen the investigation into the death of David Koschman, who died after being punched in 2004 by then-Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's nephew. After an investigation of more than a year that included testimony from nearly 150 witnesses, Webb determined that charges were warranted.
Toomin said the 73-year-old Webb wasn't the first person he considered for the Smollett case. The judge was required by law to first see if the state attorney general, the appellate prosecutor or a state attorney from elsewhere in Illinois wanted the job. During Friday's hearing, he suggested few expressed interest in leading an investigation whose outcome will inevitably spark outrage in some quarters.
"I might say that the responses were less than enthusiastic, as you might expect," Toomin told the courtroom.
A former state appellate judge, Sheila O'Brien, petitioned for a special prosecutor earlier this year in what many believed was a long-shot to reopen the case. But in a surprise decision, Toomin ruled in June that a special prosecutors was, in fact, called for, citing "unprecedented irregularities" in how the case had been handled.
A Smollett spokeswoman declined to comment Friday. But in court filings last month, Smollett's attorneys sharply criticized Toomin's decision to appoint a special prosecutor with broad powers, calling the process a "travesty of justice."
Smollett, now 37, told police he was walking home early on Jan. 29 when two masked men approached him, made racist and homophobic insults, beat him and looped a noose around his neck before fleeing. He said his assailants, at least one of whom he said was white, told him he was in "MAGA country" — a reference to President Donald Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again."
Several weeks later, authorities alleged that Smollett had paid two black friends $3,500 to help him stage the attack because he was unhappy with his salary as an actor on "Empire" and wanted to drum up publicity for his career.
In his June ruling, Toomin suggested that the county's state's attorney, Kim Foxx, mishandled the case by appointing a top aide to oversee it after she recused herself.
Foxx had been in contact with a Smollett relative and was approached by former first lady Michelle Obama's one-time chief of staff on behalf of Smollett's family. Foxx explained at the time that she was recusing herself to avoid "even the perception of a conflict" of interest.
Foxx has said that Smollett was treated no differently than thousands of other defendants in low-level cases whose charges have been similarly dropped. She also publicly wondered if her being black had anything to do with the criticism she received.
She released a statement Friday pledging her office's "full cooperation" with Webb's investigation.
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/135001/amp?fbclid=IwAR0zVILtuT6b1kqe1c_ZRKxJzEyz6xe1YyYZy2Rh6fEXBncJ5jY96_h0eUY
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/135001/amp?fbclid=IwAR0zVILtuT6b1kqe1c_ZRKxJzEyz6xe1YyYZy2Rh6fEXBncJ5jY96_h0eUY
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Thursday, August 15, 2019
Cocktails & Popcorn: Fat, Dumb & Happy - The Next Phase Of The UAW Corruption Climbs Up Another Rung On The TARP Ladder Of Stealin'
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| in Detroit |
I would be honored to meet the USAA who coined this profound phrase.
Feds charge ex-UAW leader in growing corruption scandal
Detroit — A former senior United Auto Workers official has been charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering, marking an expansion of a federal corruption investigation that has spread beyond Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.Michael Grimes — who until last year served as administrative assistant to UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada — received $1.99 million in kickbacks from union vendors, according to the government.
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| Mike Grimes & Cindy Estrada |
The criminal charges, which could send Grimes to federal prison for up to 20 years, help federal investigators pierce the inner circle of Estrada, a sitting UAW vice president and head of the union's FCA department who has been under scrutiny for almost two years. The case also expands the scope of a criminal investigation that, until now, focused on Fiat Chrysler executives trying to influence contract negotiations by giving UAW officials money, lavish trips and more.
The criminal filing Wednesday described old-school corruption and greed that deprived UAW members of honest leadership and involved officials in charge of the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources, a training center for blue-collar workers. The alleged scheme also defrauded the training center, prosecutors said.
“This is the first shoe to drop involving General Motors and the UAW,” said Peter Henning, a Wayne State University law professor and former federal prosecutor. "It raises the question of what kind of monitoring the UAW was doing, or was there any?"
The criminal case was filed four months after The Detroit News exclusively reported that federal investigators were reviewing whether UAW leaders received kickbacks after giving business executives contracts to produce union-branded clothes and trinkets.
Grimes is the ninth person charged in an ongoing investigation, and the criminal case embroils a training center for blue-collar workers jointly operated by the UAW and GM.
“Mike Grimes benefited only himself, not the UAW membership, and should be fully prosecuted to the extent of the law," union spokesman Brian Rothenberg wrote in an email to The News.
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| Joe Ashton & Cindy Estrada |
Ashton resigned from GM's board one month after The News report.
"GM has been fully cooperating with the government on its investigation of the UAW Center for Human Resources, and will continue to do so," a GM spokesman said Wednesday. "As a matter of practice, we do not comment on the specifics of an ongoing investigation."
Investigators have expanded the inquiry to all three Detroit automakers and also are focused on whether senior UAW staff were forced to contribute to accounts originally established to buy flowers for autoworkers' funerals, and whether union leaders kept the cash.
Grimes, 65, of Fort Myers, Florida, was charged in a criminal information, which indicates a guilty plea is expected. That could give federal prosecutors another key cooperator in the ongoing investigation.
“I am aware of the charges brought against Mr. Grimes,” Grimes' lawyer Michael Manley wrote in a text to The News. “There will be no comment on the charges or any potential resolution at this time.”
Grimes has not returned calls or message left by The News since April.
The criminal case focuses on self-dealing and kickbacks allegedly paid to union leaders for awarding deals for UAW-branded trinkets, including more than $3.9 million spent on commemorative watches that were never distributed to union members.
The alleged conspiracy started in 2006 and lasted until July 2018, according to the government. During that time, Grimes worked alongside Estrada and served on the UAW-GM training center board alongside Ashton and others. He was paid $150,574 a year.
The scheme described by prosecutors involved Grimes and two unnamed union officials allegedly enriching themselves by deceptively soliciting, influencing and obtaining contracts for two vendors. One contractor, identified by the government as "Vendor A," owned a family-operated business that sold American-made custom logo products, including clothes and accessories.
The second contractor, identified as "Vendor B," was a chiropractor based in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey. The chiropractor treated one of the unnamed union officials for years.
Ashton, 71, lives in Ocean View, New Jersey.
In August 2012, the chiropractor opened a new business that purportedly sold American-made custom watches. The company's only income came from the UAW and the training center operated with GM.
During the alleged conspiracy, Grimes and the two unnamed UAW officials demanded and accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from the two vendors, prosecutors said.
In 2006, Grimes recommended "Vendor A" provide 23,000 watches to the UAW-GM training center, according to court records. After awarding the contract, Grimes demanded a loan to buy property in Rose Township in northern Oakland County, prosecutors said. The vendor refused and Grimes threatened to cancel the watch contract, according to court records.
"Fearing economic harm to his company, Vendor A agreed to provide a mortgage for $60,000 so that Michael Grimes could buy the property," prosecutors wrote. The vendor also agreed to pay Grimes $1,800 per month for consulting work. The monthly payments rose to $3,800 per month and continued until Grimes retired in July 2018, according to the government.
Grimes also demanded bribes in exchange for not interfering with the vendor's business, according to prosecutors. To hide the bribes, the vendor wrote checks payable to "KKG Consulting," which prosecutors called a sham company. State business records show the company was created by Grimes' wife Karen in 2001.
Karen Grimes
Karen Grimes (Photo: Lee County Sheriff's Office)
From 2010 through 2017, the vendor paid Grimes almost $900,000, prosecutors said, adding that Grimes was involved in another tainted contract in 2011.
This time, an unnamed UAW official identified as "Union Official 1" proposed buying 50,000 "Team UAW-GM" jackets using training center funds. Grimes recommended steering the contract to "Vendor A," prosecutors said.
The vendor later received a $6 million contract. A second unnamed union official directed Grimes to demand an approximately $300,000 kickback for "Union Official 1" prosecutors said. The official received the money in 2012.
Grimes also demanded a $525,000 kickback and threatened to cancel the jacket contract, prosecutors said. Grimes later increased his demand and received $530,000 from the vendor, which he spent paying off property in Fenton, according to the government.
In 2016, Grimes received a $500,000 kickback from the same vendor in exchange for awarding a $5.8 million contract to provide backpacks for UAW members, prosecutors said. The money was funneled through Karen Grimes' sham company, according to the government.
Grimes also received money from another watch contract involving the Pennsylvania chiropractor, prosecutors said.
In 2012, "Union Official 1" told the chiropractor to create a new company so the UAW could buy more than 50,000 watches.
The next year, the UAW-GM training center awarded a $3.97 million contract to the vendor for 58,000 watches. In May 2013, "Union Official 1" demanded a $250,000 kickback, money that was hand-delivered to the union official's home, prosecutors said. A second UAW official also received kickbacks from the watch vendor, according to the government.
To conceal the scheme, the watch vendor wrote "antique furniture" or "furniture" in the memo line of the checks. The second UAW official split some of the money with Grimes, prosecutors said.
The watch contract kickbacks continued until fall 2016, when news broke about the federal corruption investigation involving the UAW and Fiat Chrysler.
"Union Official 1" met with the watch vendor and said "the payments had to stop because of the UAW/Fiat Chrysler investigation," prosecutors said.
The UAW-GM training center received the watches anyway. The 58,000 watches are not on UAW member wrists, however — they are being stored in a warehouse at the training center.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
DEFANGO: Jussie Smollet Criminal Case Dropped 'Whitewash of Justice' - #Coloredrevolution Update - NAACP
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| "Will run Detroit psyops for campaign funding" |
I only ask because the NAACP has some issues, itself.
See, it goes like this.
Once upon a time, the Meanies were really mean to my Sweetie.
So, what had happened was someone asked my #Superfans to look into it, because it goes all the way back to Watergate.
Watergate is part of the Civil Rights History of the U.S., but the Meanies are trying really, really hard to rewrite it by what I call the #coloredrevolution because it is how they get elected and make money, of which I prefer to call stealin'.
Yes, the #coloredrevolution has to do with dark psyoptics because they are throwing shade to what they did.
See, it goes like this.
Someone called this entire investigation years ago, in multiple venues within the law enforcement communities, and in multiple legislative actions, like the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016, which had to do with Watergate and Whitewater re-investigations and the lack of action by the FBI and DOJ.
So, what had happened was, one day, some "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) came up with the really cleaver idea of co-opting and bastardizing, proactively, mind you, any possible legal investigation of what they were about to do, and that was their Detroit #MeToo Moment to cloak their egregious election interference operations.
The "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) came up with the idea of an "anti-lynching" bill which was nothing but a propaganda project by having Kamala Harris and Corey Booker take the lead an introduce, replete with a full scaled, campaign finance, money laundering, called "Justice for Victims of Lynching Act".
The Anti-Lynching Bill, itself, was dumb because they, once again, had transmographied U.S. history by flushing the legacy of John Conyers, Jr., down the toilet to save their asses for jacking up the 2016 election.
Well, that just gave me the Saddy Face because it seems it came out of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is not incorporated, but a subset of the Smithsonian Institute.
They were running anti-lynching psyops to secure more federal grants for more propaganda to generate more revenues.
The NMAAHC operates under the Smithsonian, with over $6 Billion in assets, because it is not incorporated. I am not finding any corporate registration of the organization which leads me to believe it is a passthrough for money laundering, just like the NAACP.
The "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) destroyed the legacy of Emmet Till Act because it is about investigating stuff that went on during the civil rights era, or, for those of you who are just jumping aboard this ship of WATERGATE, for the nasty stuff that went on behind the scenes to cover up the Child Abuse Protection Treatment Act, modern day human trafficking.
And you know who was over Watergate?
Yes, the same individuals who pulled off the Detroit #MeToo Moment, wanted to make sure they suppressed any form of legal precedent in the forms of impeachment, simply for the fact that the impeachment process was originally constructed with the intentions of Hillary Clinton winning the 2016 General Election.
But she did not.
Because she was hoisted by her own petards.
Because it was another #coloredrevolution operation by "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending).
These are the same people who were stealing' children, land and votes, as a right of ascension, a residual of the peculiar institution, by any means necessary.
So, what had happened was, one day, some "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) came up with the really cleaver idea of co-opting and bastardizing, proactively, mind you, any possible legal investigation of what they were about to do, and that was their Detroit #MeToo Moment to cloak their egregious election interference operations.
The "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) came up with the idea of an "anti-lynching" bill which was nothing but a propaganda project by having Kamala Harris and Corey Booker take the lead an introduce, replete with a full scaled, campaign finance, money laundering, called "Justice for Victims of Lynching Act".
The Anti-Lynching Bill, itself, was dumb because they, once again, had transmographied U.S. history by flushing the legacy of John Conyers, Jr., down the toilet to save their asses for jacking up the 2016 election.
Well, that just gave me the Saddy Face because it seems it came out of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is not incorporated, but a subset of the Smithsonian Institute.
They were running anti-lynching psyops to secure more federal grants for more propaganda to generate more revenues.
The NMAAHC operates under the Smithsonian, with over $6 Billion in assets, because it is not incorporated. I am not finding any corporate registration of the organization which leads me to believe it is a passthrough for money laundering, just like the NAACP.
And you know who was over Watergate?
Yes, the same individuals who pulled off the Detroit #MeToo Moment, wanted to make sure they suppressed any form of legal precedent in the forms of impeachment, simply for the fact that the impeachment process was originally constructed with the intentions of Hillary Clinton winning the 2016 General Election.
But she did not.
Because she was hoisted by her own petards.
Because it was another #coloredrevolution operation by "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending).
These are the same people who were stealing' children, land and votes, as a right of ascension, a residual of the peculiar institution, by any means necessary.
These are the people who are running foreign corporate, funded psyops in the form of reparations propaganda.
These individuals are just another group of operatives who will do whatever it takes to keep their hair and nails "did".
First Assistant to the Cook County State Attorney Joseph Magats -- who replaced Kim Foxx when she recused herself from the Smollett case -- just did an interview explaining why he and his office dropped all their charges against Jussie ... but it raises more questions that answers. First off, Magats says one big factor in why they dropped the charges has to do with the fact that Jussie doesn't have a violent criminal history, not to mention that this wasn't a violent crime. Magats says his office prioritizes violent crimes in Chicago, and felt this case wouldn't be the best use of resources. For the record, he says he made this decision alone ... without consultation from Kim Foxx.
Links to sources:
https://pastebin.com/QJBYU7uf
https://pastebin.com/QJBYU7uf
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Cocktails & Popcorn: Pelosi NATO Brussels Shopper Express Bonus Edition - Trump Shutdown Special
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Cocktails & Popcorn: DOJ, Fiat Chrysler, UAW, TARP & Public Corruption Covert Activities In Detroit
The following is from the U.S. Treasury on TARP Auto Bailout on Chrysler:Chrysler
In total, Treasury committed $12.5 billion to Chrysler under TARP. Under the loan agreement, Chrysler was required to implement a viable restructuring plan. In March 2009, the Administration determined that the business plan submitted by Chrysler failed to meet that standard and concluded that Chrysler was not viable as a stand‐alone company. The Administration subsequently determined that Chrysler could achieve viability by partnering with the international car company Fiat. As part of the planned restructuring, in April 2009, Chrysler filed for bankruptcy protection. In May 2009, Treasury provided $1.9 billion to Chrysler (Old Chrysler) under a debtor‐in‐possession financing agreement for assistance during its bankruptcy proceeding.Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy in June 2009 as a newly formed entity, Chrysler Group LLC (New Chrysler). Since then, Chrysler has lowered its structural costs, adopted new technologies, rejuvenated its product line, and rebuilt its brands. As of April 2011, the company had achieved five consecutive quarters of operating profit and on March 31, 2011, Chrysler realized its first quarter of positive net income since exiting bankruptcy. More than $11.2 billion of the $12.5 billion committed to Chrysler has been returned to taxpayers through principal repayments, interest, and cancelled commitments.
The following is from Wikileaks Podesta email on the bait and switch TARP scheme using the auto industry.
Now, we have what I see is a preservation of institutions by going after individual rogue actors.
This is what this the theme DOJ is going after, but I wonder where this investigation will take up.
Stay tuned and get your popcorn.
Detroit — Federal prosecutors labeled the United Auto Workers and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV as co-conspirators in a widening corruption scandal, an allegation at odds with claims the labor union and automaker were victimized by rogue employees.
The allegation, contained in a federal court plea agreement obtained by The Detroit News on Tuesday, potentially exposes the automaker and the UAW — a cornerstone of the modern American automotive industry — to criminal charges, fines and governmental oversight, according to a former federal prosecutor.
"This does not bode well for Fiat Chrysler and the UAW," said Peter Henning, a Wayne State University law professor. "All along, the union and Fiat Chrysler have portrayed themselves as victims, but this indicates the government has a different view."
Federal prosecutors say the union and Fiat Chrysler conspired from before 2009 through 2015 to violate the Labor Management Relations Act and the automaker enabled nepotism to flourish at a blue-collar training center. The law prohibits employers or those working for them from paying, lending or delivering money or other valuables to officers or employees of labor organizations — and from labor leaders from accepting such items.
"From in or before 2009 through 2015, FCA executives conspired with one another, with FCA, with officials at the UAW, and with the UAW, to violate the Labor Management Relations Act," prosecutors wrote in the court filing.
It's the first time FCA and the union have been identified separately from individuals in the case. The government has not brought charges against either the company or the union.
The federal claim of a high-level conspiracy between Detroit’s No. 3 automaker and its most important union comes as 3,000 delegates and union members are gathered this week for the UAW’s quadrennial constitutional convention – and to elect a new slate of officers that has been shaped by the abrupt retirements of two would-be officers amid the ongoing federal probe.
The allegation is the latest development in a widening federal investigation that has led to criminal charges againstseven people, caused upheaval at the top ranks of the auto industry and raised questions about the sanctity of labor negotiations.
The allegation emerged in court documents filed as part of a plea agreement for former Fiat Chrysler executive Michael Brown, 60, of West Bloomfield Township, who helped run the training center, knew about the conspiracy and that Iacobelli and at least four other unnamed Fiat Chrysler officials were funneling more than $1.5 million worth of illegal payments to UAW officials, prosecutors allege.
"Michael Brown knew that the purpose of the conspiracy to provide prohibited payments to UAW officials was to grease the skids in order to obtain benefits, advantages and concessions in the negotiation, implementation and administration of the collective bargaining agreements between FCA and the UAW," prosecutors wrote in the federal court filing.
The conspiracy described by prosecutors spanned three administrations at the UAW: Presidents Ron Gettelfinger, Bob King and Dennis Williams, who will retire this week during the union's convention at Cobo Center.
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| UAW president Dennis Williams |
The allegation emerged almost one year into a prosecution that has led to six convictions, including former Fiat Chrysler Vice President Alphons Iacobelli. The case has revealed a cozy relationship between the automaker and the union, long-time adversaries, who prosecutors allege forged a relationship designed to corrupt the bargaining process and implementation of a labor contract for thousands of workers.
"Will this go any higher in the union or the company is the question left dangling here," Henning said. "For union members, they will be especially perturbed by this, that the union colluded with the company."
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| Alphons Iacobelli |
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| Monica Morgan and her late husband General Holiefield. |
More than $30,000 was spent throwing a party in August 2014 for former UAW Vice President Norwood Jewell, The News has learned. The party included "ultra premium" liquor, strolling models who lit labor leaders’ cigars and a $3,000 tab for wine in bottles with custom labels that featured Jewell’s name.
Jewell, 60, of Davison, has not been charged with a crime during the ongoing investigation.
More illegal payments bankrolled private accommodations, golf resort fees and lavish meals in Palm Springs, Calif., for Jewell and his top administrative assistant, Nancy Adams Johnson, according to the government. Again, the expenses were paid by the training center with money from Fiat Chrysler.
A UAW spokesman declined comment and referred to Williams' speech at the UAW Constitutional Convention on Monday, Williams tried to distance the union from the corruption described by prosecutors.
"To be clear: those who misallocated or misused training center funds betrayed our trust," Williams told thousands of union members Monday at Cobo Center. "The UAW has zero tolerance for corruption, wrongdoing, at any level of the organization.
"Now, our leadership team had no knowledge of the misconduct — which involved former union members and former auto executives — until it was brought to our attention by the government."
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| Norwood Jewell, UAW V.P. of the FCA US |
“What took place with the people that had been indicted flies in the face of UAW culture," said Harley Shaiken, a professor at the University of California-Berkeley who specializes in labor and the global economy. "The reality is all human organizations are subject to issues of corruption. What’s critical is how the organization responds. And in this case, the UAW has been unambiguous.”
A Fiat Chrysler spokeswoman declined comment Tuesday and referred to previous comments by CEO Sergio Marchionne.
"I join Dennis Williams, the UAW President, in expressing my disgust at the conduct alleged in the indictment which constitutes the most egregious breach of trust by the individuals involved," Marchionne wrote in a letter last year to Fiat Chrysler employees. "This conduct had nothing whatsoever to do with the collective bargaining process, but rather involved two bad actors who apparently saw an opportunity to misappropriate funds entrusted to their control and who, unfortunately, co-opted other individuals to carry out or conceal their activities over a period of several years."
Marchionne has a criminal defense lawyer and has been questioned by federal investigators.
Marchionne was questioned during a private meeting in July 2016 with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in downtown Detroit, sources familiar with the investigation said. The Italian auto executive was escorted to the meeting by his white-collar, criminal defense lawyer, William Jeffress of the Washington, D.C., law firm Baker Botts.
Jeffress is a prominent white-collar defense lawyer who handled post-Watergate legal matters for President Richard Nixon and defended Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff I. Scooter Libby in a high-profile CIA leak trial.
Marchionne, 65, has not been charged with a crime during an ongoing federal grand jury investigation that has expanded in recent months to include training centers funded by all three Detroit automakers.
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| Retired United Auto Workers General Motors Vice President Joe Ashton |
The alleged conspiracy involving the UAW and Fiat Chrysler could end in a settlement with the government that would require new internal controls, fines or an injunction, Henning said.
"There could be some kind of admission that they failed to oversee what was being done at the training center," Henning said. "Or there could be an agreement to undertake certain measures to make sure this doesn't happen again."
Federal oversight of the UAW could be unprecedented for a union long considered a “clean union” – but not for organized labor. In 1988, the Justice Department sued the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, charging it with labor racketeering in a bid to stamp out corruption and Mafia influence at the union’s highest levels. Prosecutors have not taken any of those steps with the UAW.
A fight for money central to the criminal case involving the UAW and Fiat Chrysler has intensified in recent days. The UAW-Chrysler National Training Center sued Iacobelli and others Friday to recoup $4.4 million it claims was embezzled during the scheme.
During the time of the conspiracy described by prosecutors, Fiat Chrysler executives authorized Holiefield and other UAW officials to offer sham employment at the training center to friends, relatives and allies, according to the court filing.
At the direction of Holiefield and other UAW officials, "numerous individuals were categorized as being on 'special assignment' status to the (training center) when, in fact, those individuals did little work or no work on behalf of the (training center)," prosecutors wrote.
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| UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada |
Two of Jewell's sons are servicing representatives with the union, according to the UAW's annual filings. Justin Jewell is paid $125,744 while Derik Jewell's total compensation is $116,726.
Allegations of nepotism are not limited to the UAW-Chrysler training center. GM and the UAW operate the Center for Human Resources training center in Detroit. So many relatives of UAW officials have worked there that some dub the facility the "Center for Hidden Relatives."
Details about nepotism within the UAW training centers emerged in 2015 when former Center for Human Resources receptionist Shannan McDonald , unsuccessfully sued the training center. McDonald claimed she was forced to resign after being discriminated against due to a disability.
Estrada was deposed in April 2016.
“Ms. Estrada, do you have a daughter or step-daughter named Tara?” McDonald’s lawyer Jeffrey Burg asked during the deposition.
“Tara White,” Estrada said.
“What is she to you?” the lawyer asked.
“She’s my step-daughter,” Estrada said.
“And is Tara White working for (the training center) now?” the lawyer said.
“Yes, she is,” Estrada said.
“Is she working the receptionist job that Shannan had occupied before Shannan left?” the lawyer asked.
“Yes,” Estrada said.
Days earlier, the lawyer deposed John Ashton, a facility manager at the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources.
“Who is Joe Ashton?” the lawyer asked.
“He's my uncle,” John Ashton said.
“And did your uncle Joe Ashton assist in any way in getting you the job at (the training center)?” Burg asked.
“Yes,” John Ashton said.
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