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Political consultant John Ruff dies in auto accident (Key Figure in Burris Perjury Trial)
Chicago Sun Times ^ | June 9, 2009 | DAVE McKINNEY

Posted on Thursday, June 11, 2009 7:54:47 PM by callisto

SPRINGFIELD — A key figure in the perjury investigation of U.S. Sen. Roland Burris died in an automobile accident Monday, authorities in far west-suburban Kendall County confirmed Tuesday.

John Ruff, of Sandwich, Ill., was killed shortly before 3 p.m. when his 2001 BMW convertible crossed an oncoming lane of traffic and collided with a tree while he was driving eastbound on Rogers Road near Oak Brook Road in unincorporated Plano, said Kendall County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Pearson.

John Ruff, a key figure in the perjury investigation of U.S. Sen. Roland Burris was killed in an automobile accident Monday in Kendall County. He was 42-years-old. (Jean Lachat/Sun-Times)

Police have ruled out alcohol as a cause of the crash, but toxicology results won’t be known until a coroner’s inquest in mid July.

Pearson said there were no witnesses to the crash nor was there evidence of any other vehicles involved. There were no skid marks on the road.

“We have absolutely no idea what caused Mr. Ruff’s vehicle to veer off the roadway,” Pearson said.

Deputy Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Marcellis told the Sun-Times that Ruff died of blunt head and chest trauma. No autopsy is planned.

Marcellis said that a friend of Ruff’s indicated to her that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, though it was unclear whether that had any bearing on the crash.

“Obviously, one of the effects of a brain tumor is you have seizures. It could have been an issue for him,” she said.

Ruff, 42, was the subject of a March 6 front-page story in the Sun-Times in which he issued an apology for being a co-plaintiff with Burris in a lawsuit seeking to force Secretary of State Jesse White to certify Burris’ controversial late-December appointment by impeached ex-Gov. Blagojevich.

Ruff, a health-care and political consultant, raised the prospect of a possible quid pro quo between Blagojevich and Burris, recounting a telephone conversation with Burris’ business partner Fred Lebed, who allegedly told Ruff on the date of Burris’ appointment, “We’ll have to do some things for the governor.”

Ruff also said he recalled Lebed telling him he’d had discussions about Burris’ interest in the Senate appointment with Blagojevich representatives — lobbyist John Wyma, now-indicted chief of staff John Harris and former chief of staff Lon Monk — as early as October.

...snip...

STOLEN: It’s the Chicago way......Trying to keep all the dots together in one place...SO folks can connect them at their leisure....anything else you want to add to the site would be appreciated.

Veeery nice place to have an ‘accident’. The middle of freaking NOWHERE! Its no wonder there were no witnesses. I looked this location up in Google Maps and its alllll farmland & woods. But the article is slightly wrong, the location is in Newark, IL 60541, not unincorporated Plano. But it IS ‘near’ the Plano School Dist 88.
But the *odd* things about this are:

He was going eastbound on Rogers Rd - away from his house in Sandwich, IL.

Going East on Rogers @ Oakbrook Rd is approaching a Main Cross Intersection, Whitfield Rd.

He should have been slowing down or getting ready to, depending how close he was to Oakbrook Rd. As Whitfield is the ‘main road’ and he’d have to stop. Rogers Rd dead ends shortly after Whitfield Rd.

If he was going the speed limit, hitting a Tree Head on should NOT have killed him, especially in a BMW. Seat belt or not.
Another ‘funny thing’ is in the ‘good old days’ The Chicago Outfit would (cough) ‘get rid of’ people in this type of area. One couple who crossed the Mob were chased down in their car and shotgunned to death right in this area, again, no witnesses. And the Spilotro bros (Tony & Michael) were found in a Farm Field straight east of here in Indiana, as replayed in the movie Casino(1).

Now I’m not saying this was a Hit but this thing smells of dead fish.

(1) Except in real life they were killed in a Chi suburb (Elmhurst) house basement. And the Mobsters who botched the burial were also whacked. (sigh.... I love the old Mob, they had scruples)

65 posted on Friday, June 12, 2009 8:41:57 AM by Condor51 (The difference between