Governor Quinn Was Unaware of Pol's Husband's Windfall

The Chicago Sun Times ^ | March10, 2014 | Dave McKinney

[PBRCat]

Governor Pat Quinn’s administration Monday said he was unaware that Cook County Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown’s husband made a six-figure windfall from the governor’s now-disbanded, $54.5 million anti-violence program. A top Quinn aide also hit the top Senate Republican for her searing criticism that the husband’s payday amounted to “pure cronyism.”

Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, who has pushed for a federal criminal investigation into the program, shot back Monday, describing the governor’s office’s sensitivity to her statements as “an overreaction” and proof Quinn is “vulnerable” politically from the program.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday that Benton Cook, Brown’s husband, made $146,401 in salary and fringe benefits over two years from Quinn’s anti-violence program — once dubbed the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative — to help distribute $2.1 million in state funds in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. Radogno called Cook’s involvement “outrageous.”

In the governor’s office’s first response to the disclosure, a key Quinn aide called Radogno’s remarks “malicious” and “irresponsible.” Cook has denied making that much, even though state records obtained by the Sun-Times show that he had in 2011 and 2012.

“I was shocked to read Leader Radogno’s comments in the paper [Monday], which are just plain false and malicious,” Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said in a prepared statement, referring to the Cook story.

Anderson went on to dispute GOP assertions that the program — launched by Quinn in the month prior to his 2010 election when he was predicted by some analysts to lose to Republican Bill Brady — was a lavish, taxpayer-funded, get-out-the-vote initiative.

“As has been previously reported and runs in stark contrast to Leader Radogno’s irresponsible comments, not one community organization received a single dollar until after the election,” Anderson said.

Radogno Monday rejected the criticism coming from Quinn’s office and said her views are “supported” by findings by Auditor General William Holland, whose audit this month outlined “pervasive deficiencies” in the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative. Holland turned over his audit Friday to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Springfield and to state Executive Inspector General Ricardo Meza.

“I think their overreaction to what is legitimate criticism demonstrates they know they’re very vulnerable on this issue,” Radogno said of Quinn’s office.

http://politics.suntimes.com/article/springfield/quinn-aide-gov-was-unaware-pols-husbands-windfall/mon-03102014-645pm

[PBRCat]

Since being elected Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Dorothy Brown has turned her office staff into a political patronage army filled with clerks who hold jobs largely for political purposes.

[CMailBag]

They need to change the name of that crap-hole county to CROOKED County.

[Organic Panic]

Another game of “Guess the Party.”

[colorado tanker]

Seems nothing much has changed in Barry’s hometown.

[expat2]

Not aware? Sure.....

[1010RD]

We do call it Crook County and Ill-Annoy.

[1010RD]

The article’s wrong. This isn’t pure cronyism. If it were pure he’d have gotten the whole $54.5 million. Instead we’d have been better off just paying him $146,401 directly.

Pure cronyism could have saved the taxpayers over $54 million.

[Liz]

YAWN---ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER GOVT FRAUD IN CHICAGOLAND: Cook County Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown’s husband made a six-figure windfall from the governor’s now-disbanded, $54.5 million anti-violence program.

TAXPAYERS SHOULD DEMAND AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE SCOPE AND DIMENSIONS OF OFFICIAL GOVT DOCUMENTS THAT WERE INTENTIONALLY FALSIFIED TO FACILITATE GOVT FRAUD

“Falsifying Government Documents” involves altering, changing, or modifying a document for the purpose of deception.......it can also involve forgery and/or passing on copies of false documents to mislead. Falsifying documents is usually done in connection with broader criminal aims, such as extortion, government fraud, tax evasion, money laundering, financing disallowed procedures........

Types of documents commonly falsified may include:
◾Tax returns and income statements
◾Personal checks
◾Bank account records
◾Business record keeping books
◾Immigration documents (such as visas, passports, etc.)
◾Identification cards and birth certificates

Many different types of acts can be considered as falsifying a document, including:
◾Altering or misrepresenting factual information such as prices or monetary amounts
◾Stating false information when requested to provide truthful statements
◾Forging a signature
◾Using official letterheads without authorization
◾Concealing assets or property WRT obtaining federal/state grants))
◾Knowingly using or distributing a fake document

A person can only be held criminally liable if they are deliberately acting with the intention of deceiving or defrauding another party.

Falsifying documents is a very serious offense and is generally classified as a felony. This means that a person charged with falsifying documents may be subject to the following legal penalties:
◾Having to pay a monetary fine
◾Incarceration in a prison facility

Depending on the gravity of the offense, as well as individual state laws, falsifying documents can result in a prison sentence of 5-10 years. Also, if government documents or authorities were involved, the legal penalties may be more severe. ..... legal penalties may increase with repeat offenses.

The penalty for falsifying government documents is outlined in the Crimes Act of 1958.

[Liz]

Govtfrauditis----the way diseased Dumbocrats get a permanent govt gob.

<><> Rev Wright's daughter was pilfering from a $1.25 million Illinois state grant which financed a not-for-profit work and education program called "We Are Our Brother's Keeper," owned by Regina Evans, former police chief of Country Club Hills, and her husband, Ronald Evans Jr.

<><> 6/8/13 Regina Evans (above) pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering charges related to the misuse of a $1.25 million state grant to a non-profit organization she ran with her husband, Ronald Evans Jr.

==========================================

SCAMARAMA---October 11, 2011 ----Police Chief Regina Evans Resigns

COUNTRY CLUB HILLS, Ill. (CBSLOCAL.COM) Country Club Hills Mayor said that negotiations were underway to clear the way for the resignation of police Chief Regina Evans, in office for about two years,

<><> Regina Evans was on disability leave since August 2011,

<><> it was earlier reported that Illinois AG's office is suing the 2011 nonprofit group run by Regina Evans over its handling of state job training grant worth more than $500,000.

<><> Evans also signed off on invoices for a controversial summer camp where the campers — including the children of some aldermen who voted for it — got paid to attend (in Chicago, this is called "redistribution of income").

<><> Most recently, Evans came under fire from city officials for overseeing a 2011 part-time police program where 10 part-time police officers were hired last year. A news report revealed that many of the part-time officers had questionable backgrounds, and a city report on the program showed the officers weren’t qualified to do police work. They since have been ordered to turn in their guns and badges.

The SouthtownStar contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.

====================================

SO THAT'S WHERE OBOBO GOT THE IDEA FOR HIS LATEST SCAM? --- "My Brother's Keeper" rears its ugly head in Washington.

WASH/POST---Community lenders’ network commits to lend $1 billion in support of Obama's ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ / By Zachary A. Goldfarb, March 6, 2014

A network of (ahem) community lenders is committing to lending (?) $1 billion in support of President Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative that aims to boost the life chances of young African and Hispanic men.

===================================================

Yawn.....just goes to show: there's always a sap-happy Lib/Prog willing to say they're "for" their fellow-man---and hoping to make a buck on it.

[Liz]

Time to mobilize the Bank Secrecy Act.

The Bank Secrecy Act passed by Congress, requires banks to establish, implement and maintain programs designed to detect and report suspicious activity indicative of money laundering, govt fraud, and other financial crimes.

“The Bank Secrecy Act was enacted to protect the tax-paying public from harm by identifying and detecting money laundering from criminal enterprises, govt fraud, tax evasion, and other unlawful activities."

Taxpayers should demand copies of (1) county checks, (2) wire transfers, (3) bank account statements, (4) invoices, (5) bills, (6) delivery tickets, (7) correspondence including e-mail, employment contracts, loan agreements, and, (8) any other govt books or records. Scrutinize govt bank accounts for suspicious activites: (A) large deposits, (B) funds transferred from one account into another, (C) request for withdrawals.

CONTACT
enforcement@SEC.gov
FBI TIPS PAGE https://tips.fbi.gov/

SAMPLE LETTER:

SUBJECT: Collusion, conspiracy, and bribery
IN RE: financial irregularities
REFERENCE: govt fraud, ID theft, bank fraud, falsified govt documents, illegal wire transfers,

NARRATIVE Taxpayers demand to know the scope and dimension of multiple conspiracies by government insiders to collude in sub rosa deals to personally profit and/or to facilitate redistribution schemes.

OF INTEREST TO LAW ENFORCEMENTCongress should demand the FBI investigate evidence of multiple schemes to falsify govt documents.......and whether illegal wire transfers were employed to deposit city monies offshore.

Crimes might include---govt fraud, financial conspiracies, collusion, falsifying official documents, ID theft, money laundering, illegal wire transfers, tax evasion, extorting taxpayers, theft of govt monies, misuse of public office, misuse of government positions.

[PBRCat]

Crooked politicians rig the system, but some of the working poor and middle class are honest. A new poll has Quinn’s nominal opponent (who has no organization) pulling 36% of the vote. Nobody knows or likes the guy, who is a problem child in his own right, but they detest Quinn more. One of the more polite insulting names for Quinn is “Mister Potato head.”