Posted on 09/30/2004 11:08:36 PM PDT by Prince Charles
Feds: Pastrick tied to sidewalks-for-votes scheme COURTS: E.C. Sidewalk 6 trial documents allege conspiracy was widespread.
BY BILL DOLAN Times Staff Writer
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Friday, October 1, 2004 12:10 AM CDT
EAST CHICAGO -- Federal prosecutors named Mayor Robert Pastrick and 14 political allies as unindicted co-conspirators in the 1999 sidewalk scandal that allegedly transformed $20 million in public money into concrete and votes for their re-election.
The U.S. attorney's office filed a 44-page document this week that provides a preview of the government's effort to prove six city officials who go on trial Monday in U.S. District Court in South Bend were only part of a free-for-all among city employees and politically connected businesses to spend the most public money to win votes in the run up to the 1999 Democratic primary.
It alleges the conspiracy ranged from the mayor's office to the precinct committee level and helped defeat mayoral challenger Stephen R. Stiglich and his slate of candidates.
The names of the six defendants have been known since their indictment last year -- City Council members Frank Kollintzas, D-4th, Adrian Santos, D-5th, and Joe De La Cruz, D-at large, City Engineer Pedro Porras, City Parks Superintendent Jose Valdez Jr. and City Controller Edwardo Maldonado. All have pleaded not guilty to federal fraud and conspiracy charges.
Those whose names have been whispered about the last 13 months and whose names prosecutors likely will repeat in open court the next two months include Pastrick and his special assistants James H. Fife III and Timothy Raykovich.
The government alleges Pastrick spoke in the spring of 1999 with the Rev. Juan Gonzalez of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. The priest asked if the city would pave a parking lot on church property.
Pastrick said he would look into the matter. A short time later, Porras called the priest to say a contractor would pave the lot at city expense, according to the document.
James Fife III, a special assistant to Pastrick, and Raykovich are accused of assisting in the backdating of contracts to businessmen to make concrete and tree-trimming projects appear to have been done according to state laws requiring work be awarded to the lowest bidder and agreed to before it starts. The government alleges the work wasn't bid and contracts were written only after the election.
Fife was indicted this summer on federal tax fraud charges and pleaded not guilty. Neither Pastrick nor Raykovich have been charged in connection with the paving work.
Other unindicted co-conspirators are identified as City Councilman Gus Kouros, who allegedly directed illegal concrete and tree-trimming work in the city's 2nd District, and Andy Callas, who coordinated the re-election campaigns of Pastrick and allegedly told Arturo Vazquez, a city firefighter, to coordinate illegal work in the 1st District.
East Chicago spokeswoman Myrna Maldonado and Raykovich would not comment on the latest federal allegations.
George Pabey, Pastrick's opponent in the upcoming redo of the 2003 primary election, said he was not surprised.
"Here you have the mayor, who said he knew nothing about all of this. Well, it looks like this showed he did," Pabey said. "Any way that you entered the city at that time you saw all of the new concrete. (Pastrick's) the only one who didn't see it, apparently."
Bill Dolan can be reached at bdolan@nwitimes.com or (219) 662-5328.
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