Roland Burris: Not a Virgin in A Chicago Whorehouse

Loop Capital Markets — a big donor to Illinois politicians — secretly funneled money to a Philadelphia attorney to gain business with the city of Philadelphia, according to a federal indictment there.

FROM: http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:KwpyAfyGBk8J:therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/2008/10/20/ayers-and-obama-fixed-chicagos-schools-not-really/+Roland+Burris+%2B+Obama&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=40&gl=us

Burris has gone on to receive over $1 million in no-bid, low-effort “consulting” contracts from Illinois State agencies under the Governor’s control as well as a $5000/month “retainer” from Loop Capital, headed by BHO homie Jim Reynolds.

“In 2003, James Reynolds, A Chicago Investment Banker Who Is A Member Of Obama’s National Finance Committee, Was Recorded On FBI Wiretaps Arranging What Prosecutors Said Was A “Sham’ Consulting Contract With A Woman They Called The “Paramour’ Of A Mayoral Adviser In Philadelphia. His Firm Later Won $300,000 Worth Of City Contracts.” (Ken Dilanian and Matt Kelley, “Fundraisers Linked To Corruption Cases,” USA Today, 10/16/08)

“Loop Was Awarded Two No-Bid Contracts Worth Nearly $300,000, According To A Later Indictment Of Philadelphia City Treasurer Corey Kemp. Reynolds Agreed To Pay $30,000 To A Shell Company Controlled By White’s Paramour, Janice Knight, According To Court Records. “I’ll Keep You Out Of It,’ Reynolds Told White In An April 2003 Conversation Recorded By The FBI.” (Ken Dilanian and Matt Kelley, “Fundraisers Linked To Corruption Cases,” USA Today, 10/16/08)

Craig Robinson is Barack Obama’s Brother-in-Law ... He worked in the 1990’s as a bond trader and became a vice president at Continental Bank for several years as well as vice president at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. He was also a managing director and partner at Loop Capital Markets, a minority-owned boutique investment banking firm.

==== FROM: http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:eF9n6ufAd_0J:www.nlpc.org/olap/UCU4/06_03.htm+Roland+Burris+%2B+Crime&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=21&gl=us

...This is not Burris’s first involvement with allegedly corrupt unions. While serving as attny. gen. in 1994, Burris was a character witness for Robert T. Simpson Jr., frmr. pres. of Intl. Bhd. of Teamsters (IBT) Local 743. In spite of that testimony, the fed. Independent Rev. Bd. (IRB) ruled that Simpson had allowed Donald Peters to continue his influence of the Chicago local after Peters had agreed to have nothing to do with the union. Peters was named as a defendant in the 1988 fed. racketeering lawsuit against the IBT.

FROM: http://illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/burris-contracts-to-contributors.html

Monday, January 05, 2009 Burris’ contracts to contributors By Dana Heupel During Roland Burris’ first full fiscal year as Illinois attorney general, more than half of the money his office awarded for outside legal work went to campaign contributors, according to a book published by Illinois Issues magazine and the Springfield State Journal-Register.

In FY 1992, Burris’ office issued roughly $4 million in outside legal contracts to individuals and law firms, according to the book, Illinois For Sale, which was published in 1997. More than $2.25 million of that amount went to contributors to Burris’ campaign or to the main Democratic fundraising committee. None of the outside legal contracts were required to be put out for bids by competing law firms. Burris’ office was allowed to award the contracts without consideration over whether the state received the best price for the legal work. At the time, Burris’ office denied they were “pay to play” contracts.

“I don’t have no money.”

http://www.suntimes.com/news/brown/1367412,CST-NWS-brown08.article

“’No money’? Numbers say differently

But Burris assured us “there was certainly no pay to play involved because I don’t have no money.”

Poor Roland Burris. Turned away (so far) by the Senate, picked on by the press and no money to boot. It’s good that being a U.S. senator pays a salary of $169,300.

Of course, when he becomes a senator, Burris will have to give up the $70,000 in compensation he’s been taking home every year just for serving on the board of directors of Inland Real Estate Corp.

Then again, he will continue to collect his $118,000 annual pension from the State of Illinois. That’s right, 118,000 smackers, more than he made as attorney general, thanks to the state’s taxpayer-supported pension plan.

I’m afraid he’ll have to give up whatever six-figure retainer he’s been collecting as a lawyer with the Milwaukee law firm of Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan, which has enjoyed a big bump in its Illinois bond counsel work since Burris came aboard in 2007 as a rainmaker for government business. But surely this will create more opportunities than ever for his son, Roland II, as is traditional for U.S. senators.

At least Burris won’t have to hustle any more business for his lobbying firm, Burris & Lebed Consulting, which a few years back was even trying to help the Ho-Chunk Nation slip a casino into Hoffman Estates. “

How much money does the wife rake in?

http://www.csu.edu/CollegeOfHealthSciences/communityadvisorycommittee.htm

College of Health Sciences Community Advisory Board Members

Community Advisory Board Members

Dr. Berlean Burris, RN
Former Dean, College of Health Sciences
Professor, Moody Bible Institute
8358 South Indiana
Chicago, IL 60619

FWIW:

http://www.urimalliance.org/board.php

URIM Alliance is an association of Christian leaders and professionals, administrators, and business associates across the globe, with the purpose of engaging in World Evangelism through a holistic approach, focusing on 2/3rd World Nations of Africa and Asia.

Advisory Board

Dr. Berlean Burris
Chair Emeritus and Dean of College of Nursing, Chicago State University

http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:FevOF5PF5UAJ:www.chicagosinfonietta.org/press/pdfs/cs_annual2006_011107.pdf+%22Berlean+Burris%22+board&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=16&gl=us&client=firefox-a

Chicago Sinfonietta

Honorary Board of Directors

Dr. Berlean Burris

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P1-79631870.html

Advocate Health Care’s Mission Tour comes to Trinity Hospital; Roland Burris and Berlean Burris, Ph.D. announced as Honorary Chairs for Trinity

(no link)

WOOD PROPOSAL WOULD HAVE SHARPLY CUT DONATIONS
Belleville News-Democrat, The (IL) - Friday, March 8, 2002
Author: Associated Press

EXCERPT

On the Democratic side, former Attorney General Roland Burris would have been hit hardest. Nearly all of the $1.2 million he raised came from two companies controlled by Chicago-area broadcasting tycoon Joseph Stroud . Blagojevich ‘s $60,000 donation from A. Finkl & Sons Co. and Paul Vallas’ $50,000 donation from California real estate developer Angelo Tsakopoulos would have been barred.

(no link)

Where all that campaign cash comes from Democrats rely on - family and friends to fill their coffers
Daily Herald - Saturday, February 9, 2002
Author: John Patterson Daily Herald State Government Editor

(snip)

But Mell’s influence on Blagojevich ‘s political success can be counted in terms of dollars. The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform recently compiled the top 10 donors to Blagojevich ‘s political career. His father-in-law ranks third, having donated $118,166 to Blagojevich ‘s campaigns since 1992.

But the single biggest donor to Blagojevich ‘s career is the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has pumped $900,000 into Blagojevich ‘s campaign since July 1. But while that campaign committee may be the biggest contributor, Blagojevich really has netted only $268,000 from it after he sent it $632,000.

That exchange was done because federal law limits how much individuals and groups can donate to federal candidates. For instance, an individual cannot donate more than $1,000 per election. Illinois law has no restrictions.

So Blagojevich , currently a member of Congress, sent $632,000 in hard-to-raise federal funds to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. That money can be used to help fund Democratic candidates for Congress throughout the nation.

In return, the Democratic committee gave Blagojevich ‘s governor’s fund back the $632,000 plus another $268,000 for a total contribution on paper of $900,000. None of those funds are subject to the strict federal campaign contribution limits.

The financial exchange between committees also means there is no way to track the initial source of a significant portion of Blagojevich ‘s campaign contributions.

“You can think of it as a currency exchange,” said Kent Redfield, a political science professor at the University of Illinois’ Springfield campus who tracks campaign spending in Illinois.

(snip)

So this year, Burris has financed his campaign almost entirely on the back of one donor - Joseph Stroud . Stroud runs Jovan Broadcasting Corp., which owns WJYS-TV, the only African American- owned television station in the Chicago area.

Stroud has donated more than $1 million to Burris’ latest campaign for governor, accounting for nearly 92 percent of all the money Burris’ campaign received during the last six months of 2001.

Despite relying so heavily on Stroud , Burris said he is not beholden to anyone.

“Like I tell everybody else, you can give me $1 or $1 million, what I’ll guarantee you is good government,” Burris said.

(snip)

Partial link: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1427357.html

Quiet donor gives Burris $1 million
Chicago Sun-Times - Sunday, February 3, 2002
Author: Scott Fornek
Joseph Stroud is said to be a quiet guy who doesn’t like the limelight.

That was certainly true Friday, when Stroud —head of the only black-owned television station in the Chicago area and president of a telecommunications firm—did not return phone calls about the support his firms have given to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Roland Burris—support worth more than $1 million.

It is believed to be the largest contribution from an outside source in Illinois political history.

Stroud is so publicity shy that Burris’ campaign initially refused to provide reporters with any additional information about an $800,000 loan from Telephone USA Investments Inc. that showed up on the campaign disclosure report Burris filed Thursday. An aide would only call it “the corporate identity of a supporter who ... prefers to remain anonymous.”

Burris confirmed Friday it was Stroud he went to for help but insisted he was not trying to be mysterious about the source of the money.

“It wouldn’t do us any good to do that, knowing you all,” Burris said. “Trying to hide something of that magnitude? That is like trying to put an elephant in a pup tent.”

But Burris refused to say much else, calling the money corporate contributions from “two companies that believe in good government.”

(snip)

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