Posted on 08/04/2005 1:30:20 PM PDT by STARWISE
$8 Million In Contracts Called Into Question
(AP) CHICAGO A Chicago official steered $8 million in park district work at the showcase Millennium Park and elsewhere to business executives who showered her with $137,000 in cash, gifts and free vacations, federal prosecutors alleged in an indictment made public Thursday.
Shirley McMayon, 47, the Chicago Park District's former director of natural resources, was charged in the 12-count fraud indictment along with Michael Lowecki, 45, of Libertyville, owner of James Michael Inc., and John Kevin Haas, 56, of Gurnee, the company's former chief operating officer.
"The defendants in this case used the Park District's coffers as their personal playground," U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a statement. He said it was "particularly appalling" that some of the invoices submitted by James Michael were bogus.
McMayon, who now lives in Utah, was charged with steering contracts for lighting and landscaping to James Michael in return for not only cash and vacations but computers, a bicycle, a spa gift certificate and tickets to sporting events for herself, her family and her friends.
The indictment said McMayon worked at the park district starting in June 1999, first as deputy director of landscaping and later as director of natural resources. She left in 2001.
During that time, the James Michael company worked in at least seven parks throughout the city doing landscaping installation and maintenance and putting holiday wreaths and lights on bridges and monuments, the indictment said.
(snip)
The $475 million Millennium Park was a pet project of Mayor Richard M. Daley but was beset by delays and cost overruns.
Besides funneling money to McMayon, officials of James Michael allegedly also submitted false invoices for landscape architectural services, professional development, an electronic global positioning satellite system and digital cameras, the indictment said.
More at link
(Excerpt) Read more at cbs2chicago.com ...
Didn't the GOP but out a reward for information leading to arrests for corruption.......maybe they will pay.
Fitzgerald should seriously consider running for governor, if not mayor.
Go, Patick, Go. IMHO, the best thing Peter Fitzgerald ever did was recommending Patrick to be the Chicago US attorney.
Graft and corruption in Chicago? I'm shocked, shocked, I say!
Yeah, but Jesses and his friends and relatives get to keep theirs', though, right? Jesse's got children and their mothers all over the country needing support. Let's not have this clean government effort have an undue effect on black criminals!
Da mare's days are numbered. There's not one city project that isn't infested with corruption and he can't remember a thing.
Yet everybody in the LeftStream media ignore Fitzgerald and his fellow US Attorney a few miles north, Steve Biskupic (trying to single-handedly clean up Milwaukee despite the 'RAT leadership still denying there's any real problems here, and succeeding) and lionizes Blowhard Elliot Spitzer.
Quote of the day: "That's the way business is done in Illinois."
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