The Purple Hotel, 2008

An hour ago I drove down Lincoln Avenue to the site of the former Purple Hotel in Lincolnwood, once a Ramada, before that a Radisson, first a Hyatt.

This week the property, closed by village authorities last year because of a widespread mold infestation, figured prominently in the corruption trial of Antoin "Tony" Rezko. The prosecution's key witness, Stuart Levine, discussed the many drug parties he participated in and presumably enjoyed there.

Other than it's lavender brick work, suited more for South Beach, the hotel is best known among locals as the site where former organized crime financial wizard Allen Dorfman, the man who kept a tight grip on the Teamsters Union Central States Pension Fund, enjoyed his last meal. He walked into the hotel's parking lot, and was shot to death--one of the Chicago area's most notorious mob hits.

The former inn has two parking lots, Dorman was probably shot in the lonely lot pictured on the right, next to Lincoln, since it's adjacent to the restaurant area and it offered two easy escape routes for killers.

The Purple Hotel is on a busy corner, Touhy and Lincoln, and it's just a couple of blocks east of Interstate 94. Lincolnwood officials are eager to see it torn down, and replaced by condominiums and retail development. That was the version of events a year ago, the housing bubble might slow those plans down.

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Judge James Zagel Empowers Internet Reporters

Federal Judge James Zaqel has empowered internet reporters. Even non-reporters interested in the "Family Secrets" mob murder trial in Chicago can listen to the tapes and see the photographic exhibits.

You don't have to settle for what print and electronic reporters think is important.

You can gain access to the U.S. Attorney’s exhibits, including tape recordings, by clicking on this page on the U.S. Attorney's web site.

Judge James Zagel has allowed their dissemination, but only by the internet.

That's what U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's spokesman Randall Samborn wrote earlier today:

"Please be advised that Judge Zagel has authorized the Government to release trial exhibits publicly only via the Internet on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website. We are endeavoring to establish a webpage containing the trial exhibits that have been admitted and published to the jury so far, but I do not expect it to be available until sometime this evening, hopefully, and probably not until after the 6 p.m. news cycle. I will send out another email notice when it is launched with a link to the page. It will contain the photos that were admitted yesterday, along with the audio/video tapes and transcripts that were presented today."

How's that for an innovation?

Samborn later advised,

“The exhibits are now available on the Internet via the link above. Please note that audio/video recordings are embedded in the pdf transcripts of each consensual conversation; that is, if you click on the pdf link corresponding to the date of a conversation, separate links to the audio/video recordings will appear beneath the transcript."

The top photo was labeled "group photo" by the prosecutors. Can anyone name the diners?

Below left is Joseph Lombardo with dark hair. A bit lower and to the right appears to be a booking photo of Anthony Spilotro. Frank Schweihs is seen below Lombardo. Below Spilotro is Anthony Daddino. Marshall Caifano is below Spilotro. Mike Glitta is bottom left. Louis Eboli is bottom right.

I haven't listened to the tape recordings yet, but you might find them interesting in their entirety after you read or hear snippets. The tape recordings are from 1987 and 1988.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them. Can anyone identify the restaurant without reading its name in a newspaper?

There is less interesting news on McHenry County Blog.

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