Convicted vote thief joined by top local Dems at his pre-prison going away party
Crossposted on Marathon Pundit. Note: obscene comments will be deleted. You know who you are.
"Having been there -- I repeat, having been there -- I do not wish jail for any person." Former Ill. Governor Dan Walker, discussing last week's conviction of George Ryan.
Earlier this month, as Cal Skinner reminded me, there was a pre-prison going away party for ex-East St. Louis Democratic Chairman Charlie Powell. By no means am I claiming Powell is completely naive about what occurs in prison, but having such a party, and worse, the growing tolerance of corruption in Illinois, is troubling. The event was billed as a birthday party, but since Powell will be in the "house with many doors" when his birthday rolls around, the party-organizers put together a "two-fer" celebration.
Last week, Powell began serving his 21 month sentence in federal prison for his role in a vote buying scandal.
From the Belleville News-Democrat last week:
St. Clair County Circuit Judges John Baricevic and Milton Wharton attended on the evening of April 7 at Club Illusion in East St. Louis as did Associate Judge Laninya Cason and an estimated 250 other party-goers.
They had come to wish a happy birthday to a politician who, even after being convicted of vote fraud, was able to influence county politics. St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern and his wife, Erin, also were at the party as was Assessor Gordon Bush and prominent Belleville attorney Bruce Cook, who defended Powell during his June trial for conspiracy to commit vote fraud.
Wharton said that while he was not a friend of Powell's, he attended the celebration because Powell "has done significant things for the community." Wharton mentioned neighborhood improvement projects and Powell's boarding house for destitute men.
Powell is living at a different kind of boarding house now.
5 comments:
It's very interesting... when a Republican commits a crime, he should be strung up in front of the whole town... but if a Democrat commits a crime, we throw a party.... Just another blatant hypocracy that the big media outlets just don't cover....
The folks at Bishop's Chili told me they were one of the last places Rostenkowski visited for a final bowl of chili before going to serve his time at Oxford Wis; and one of the first places he went back too after released.
Unbelievable, but so St. Clair County.
Check into John Daley 11th ward vote fraud.
How are Victor Reyes and HDO not an issue for anyone?
HDO and specifically State Senator Munoz are recipients of campaign donations of the ring leader of a 8 person (at least) Heroin ring run out of the Department of Water Management connected to the Columbian cartel. The indicted drug trafficer is George Prado who is a member of HDO, gave money to HDO and Senator Munoz (at the coincidental timing of promotion) and worked with the father and brother of Senator Munoz as a hoisting engineer (A base pay of $30 an hour with no education and with overtime $75,000 to $100,000 a year) A drug dealer, politics, money, heroin. Serious corruption.
Victor Reyes is "Co-schemer A" in guilty pleas, proffers of immunity and indictments with HDO all over them including former Streets and Sanitation honcho Al "the Troll" Sanchez. Please read (you can do it online) the Federal government documents of the Sorich/Slatter indictment, Santiago proffer, Angelo Torres guilty plea, Donald Tomczak plea agreement. Fixing jobs, violations of Shakman, money for jobs, fixed tests, sex for jobs, nepotism.
Last but not least HIRED TRUCKS, Angelo Torres a former (maybe current) gang member with no education nor management experience (nor contracting or procurement or trucking experience) gets a $80,000 year job in charges of the HIRED TRUCKS program. He takes bribes and gets trucking companies contracts who do no work and are connected to organized crime creating a loss for taxpayers and safety hazards. Merely read the dozens of articles in the award winning Sun Times expose. Hired Truck money went to HDO, Senator Munoz, State Rep Acevedo. Angelo Torres's wife was the campaign treasurer to Senator Munoz campaign committee. Angelo Torres is cousins with Munoz's wife. Torres and Munoz have a religious tie through baptism in Spanish called compadres. Hundreds of millions of hired truck dollars, tens of thousands of bribes, tens of thousands of political contributions.
Rod Blagojevich did nothing about any of this. In fact he said HDO was like H20 (assmudily water)
Rod Blagojevich has given HDO members jobs. Rod Blagojevich has given Victor Reyes access for his clients in lobbying (recall Al Ronan, Swanson, Stu Levine---Victor is worse) Victor Reyes represents the pay to play system.
HDO is a huge issue for Blagojevich and will blow up before November. But Rod is smart enough to
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