Free Republic

OXFORD, Wis. (AP) The former Indiana Democratic Party chairman arrived at a federal prison in Wisconsin today. Peter Manous will serve a 27-month sentence for defrauding a union pension fund in a ten (M) million dollar land deal. Manous pleaded guilty in April to eight federal charges, including conspiracy, lying to federal investigators and obstruction of justice. The former chairman admitted in court that he took a 200-thousand dollar kickback to help broker the deal in which a carpenters union bought some land for a housing development. Manous was an attorney for the union.

(Hammond-AP) -- The son of long-time East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick pleaded guilty today to making kickbacks in a corruption scandal. Kevin Pastrick filed a petition in U-S District Court to change his earlier innocent plea to guilty on seven counts in an indictment. As part of the deal, federal prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence at the low end of the range Pastrick faces on the counts. Pastrick is a real estate developer. The indictment says he got a 600-thousand-dollar commission from a 1999 land deal. He allegedly paid a 200-thousand dollar kickback to former state Democratic Party Chairman...