Posted on 01/21/2005 10:37:47 AM PST by Clintons Are White Trash
Links not updated yet, this was just announced on 97.1 Talk FM.
The Chief of Police and his assistant/deputy are in FBI Custody. There is to be a press confrence at 2:30 to announce the details.
All indications is that this is in regard to an investigation into Voter Fraud that began immediately after the November presidential election.
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EAST ST. LOUIS -- The federal grand jury probe into allegations of election fraud and public corruption in East St. Louis has continued to widen since it began more than two months ago.
One result was an FBI raid on City Hall and the seizure of computers and boxes of documents in December.
The probe now has spread into the office of Police Chief Ron Matthews.
Matthews, 55, has received a subpoena to testify about a .38-caliber pistol belonging to David Qattoum, an East St. Louis businessman and former East St. Louis auxiliary police officer.
Federal prosecutors and the grand jury want to learn about the whereabouts of the pistol that police seized from Qattoum in August, but which has since vanished.
Matthews has been ordered to appear in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis and testify before the grand jury scheduled to meet Jan. 20, according to a copy of the subpoena Matthews received Jan. 3.
Matthews, however, denied that he has been called to testify before the grand jury.
"I was contacted by them and they said they didn't want my presence," Matthews said. "They just wanted to make sure they had all the necessary reports that have been forwarded to them."
As for the subpoena, Matthews said, "I don't know what it's about."
For his part, Qattoum said he has not received a subpoena, just as he denied any knowledge of his pistol's fate.
"I don't know nothing about that," said Qattoum, 40, of Belleville.
Matthews must produce "any and all records and physical evidence relating in any manner whatsoever to the arrest of" Qattoum, who is also known as Ayoub Qattoum, according to the subpoena signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith.
Matthews must submit all police reports, memos, lab reports, correspondence dating from Nov. 16, as well as Qattoum's arrest record and the .38-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol, according to the subpoena.
Ricky Perry, the head of the department's internal affairs division, also received a grand jury subpoena.
Qattoum's pistol was seized from him in early August, after a scuffle between him and an East St. Louis Police officer.
Qattoum was arrested after he allegedly refused to obey the officer's order to leave the scene of a traffic stop. Qattoum was also charged with having an unauthorized gun and a red-and-blue oscillating light. Qattoum's arrest led to his removal from the auxiliary police unit and prompted an investigation by Perry, the internal affairs officer.
Qattoum, who owns a gas station and convenience store at the corner of 25th and Louisiana streets, has developed close ties to East St. Louis Police officers over the years.
Through his friendship with Rudy McIntosh, the department's deputy chief, Qattoum has been allowed to take part in drug busts initiated by the federally funded Street Corner Apprehension Team, even though Qattoum is not a trained police officer.
The grand jury in East St. Louis began its probe in early November, when it issued subpoenas to Democratic committeemen from nine East St. Louis election precincts. The committeemen were ordered to testify as to how tens of thousands of dollars were spent getting out the vote Nov. 2.
In late November, the FBI raided City Hall, seizing boxes of documents and computer hard drives from the offices of Bob Storman, the city manager, and Kelvin Ellis, the director of the city's Department of Regulatory Affairs.
In late December, McIntosh -- a Democratic committeeman for Precinct 30 -- testified before the grand jury, along with another Democratic committeeman and a woman who worked for Ellis.
So far no charges have been filed against anyone who has been called to testify since November.
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FBI agents served subpoenas Tuesday to key Democrats in East St. Louis, ordering them to appear before a grand jury to answer how they spent money in the Nov. 2 election.
James Lewis, director of the East St. Louis Board of Elections, said he also received a summons to appear before the grand jury Thursday at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis.
City Councilman Charlie Powell, chairman of the city's powerful Democratic Central Committee, confirmed he, too, was subpoenaed.
Asked whether he had been held for questioning by the FBI for several hours, as other precinct committeemen said, Powell answered: "I can't comment. You're going to have to talk to them," meaning federal agents. Powell, who said he had not been arrested, declined further comment.
East St. Louis Director of Regulatory Affairs Kelvin Ellis also received a subpoena, said City Manager Robert Storman. Ellis is a Democratic precinct committeeman who in 1990 served a federal prison term after using his city job to obtain federal money for a nursing home he partly owned.
Asked whether the city's 44 Democratic precinct committeemen were being targeted by the subpoena servers, Storman said, "Yes, I have heard that."
Storman confirmed that Ellis had received a subpoena. Storman said Ellis was in the city manager's office when a reporter called. Ellis would not comment, Storman said.
According to a copy of a subpoena served to another Democratic precinct committeeman, the politicians were ordered to bring to the grand jury "any and all records relating in any manner whatsoever to the receipt of money and funds by East St. Louis precinct committeemen relative to the Nov. 2, 2004, election."
The subpoena also stated "this investigation of possible violations of federal criminal laws includes your conduct during the Nov. 2, 2004, election in East St. Louis." It was dated last Wednesday and was signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Massey said Tuesday that his office does not comment about grand jury matters.
East St. Louis played a crucial role on Nov. 2 in the contest for County Board chairman between the Democrat, Belleville Mayor Mark Kern, and his Republican challenger, Steve Reeb, a County Board member.
Reeb won 52 percent to 48 percent in the county outside of East St. Louis, which has its own election board. But Kern's 82 percent winning majority in the city where more than 13,000 ballots were cast decided the race in his favor by more than 4,000 votes.
County election department records show Kern donated, loaned or made in-kind contributions totaling $177,730 to the county Democratic Central Committee between Oct. 17 and Nov. 1. Kern could not be reached at his home or office.
"Where there's smoke there's probably fire," Reeb said of the probe. "I have my suspicions, but I'm going to leave it to the government."
The federal subpoena specified that any records showing the "disbursement and spending of those moneys" must be presented, including "budgets, receipts, checks, precinct sheets, poll lists, deposit slips, bank statements and notes."
According to several political sources who asked not to be named, about $80,000 in money from the St. Clair County Democratic Committee to get out the vote on Nov. 2 was handed out on Oct. 31. The sources said the money distribution was at the East St. Louis Veterans of Foreign Wars post.
On Tuesday, St. Clair County Democratic Central Committee Chairman Robert Sprague said he knew about the subpoenas in East St. Louis but denied he had received one.
"I have heard about it, but that's it," he said. He declined further comment. Sprague is also Belleville's city attorney.
The subpoenas delivered Tuesday aren't the first suggestion of possible East St. Louis voting irregularities. Illinois Republican Party chairman and state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka traveled there four days before the election questioning absentee ballot procedures.
Topinka highlighted a high number of absentee ballots and multiple names registered to the same address in East St. Louis, including a boarding house operated by Powell.
A spokesman for the state Republican Party, Jason Gerwig, said Republicans were concerned about "... instances of voter fraud we discovered just before the November election. We are pleased the U.S. attorney shares our concern."
So if it's a Republican in a Dem stronghold, then what?
"Matthews must submit all police reports, memos, lab reports, correspondence dating from Nov. 16, as well as Qattoum's arrest record and the .38-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol, according to the subpoena."
What's the gun about?
Are you posting to the right person?
No, that was Missouri. E St. L is on the other side of the river, in Illinois, and is a sh*t-heap.
Oh, it's much worse than that!
If it hadn't been for the Supremes the rats would have won in 2000, and it would have been pure and simple...VOTER FRAUD!!!
EStL is almost as bad, if not as bad, as St. Louis city and North County. Let's hope there is a paper trail that leads back to the Democrats.
I'd like to read about arrests in King County, WA.
Hmmm, now isn't this interesting?!
BTTT
fry hides
Its kind of interesting. I can remember my grandmother, who lived in St. Louis in the '20's, telling me that EAST St. Louis used to be the place to go. That St. Louis (MO) was run down and a dangerous place. Looks like the tide had turned.
Nope, he don't know nothing about that. In fact, he don't know nothin' about nothin'.
Someone should arrest the Seattle crew also...
I have no knoledge of Illinois electing a dead Senator. When did that happen? Are you thinking of Carnahan in Missouri? E. St. Louis is in Illinios.
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