Results tagged “alsanchez”

The conviction of former Streets and Sanitation commissioner Al Sanchez is set to be reviewed by a judge today. Defense attorneys have asked for the review claiming prosecutors failed to reveal certain information about Brian Gabriel, one of their witnesses. According to WBEZ:

Former Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Al Sanchez, who was convicted earlier this year on federal corruption charges, is asking for a new trial in light of new developments in the case. Sanchez, who was convicted in March of rigging hiring through his position as a city commissioner and his role in the Hispanic Democratic Organization, has asked the judge for a new trial, citing prosecutors failure to disclose that a key government witness was a high-ranking gang member and drug-trafficker. According to Sanchez's lawyer Thomas Breen, Brian Gabriel, who testified against Sanchez in the corruption trial, was a member of the Spanish Vice Lords. "It is hard to imagine information that is more impeaching of a witness than self-admitted gang membership, even if such membership is in the past," Breen said. "The evidence of gang membership was also no doubt suppressed by the government. The prosecution learned of Gabriel's gang affiliation prior to trial and prior to Gabriel's testimony yet did not disclose it to the defense."

The Sun-Times dug up an obscure piece of testimony from Al Sanchez's corruption trial earlier this year. Referring to Jack Drumgould's statement that the Bureau of Electricity, part of the city's Department of Streets and Sanitation, was known as "Madigan Electric" because of many city workers connections to the state's House Speaker, the paper takes a closer look at campaign contributions to Mike Madigan from bureau employees. "In all, 16 employees of the bureau have contributed a total of $45,200 since 1997 to the speaker's 13th Ward Democratic Organization and to Citizens for Lisa Madigan, according to campaign records," the Sun-Times reports.

Now that former Streets and Sanitation Commissioner and Hispanic Democratic Organization chief Al Sanchez has been convicted of corruption, we needn't worry about the city steering contracts or hiring their friends.

Mayor Daley's public troubles grew yesterday as news emerged that the mayor has taken some 46 trips abroad in the last two years, 19 of them at taxpayer expense. The Sun-Times is reporting that "seven of the trips were fully or partially bankrolled by the Daley campaign fund, seven by the Chicago 2016 Olympic organizing committee, four by the Sister Cities program, three by World Business Chicago and two by the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce." Two trips - to Washington, D.C. and Kona, Hawaii - were aboard a private jet owned by Educap, a nonprofit organization under federal fraud investigation.

The federal corruption trial of former streets and sanitation commissioner and Hispanic Democratic Organization chief Al Sanchez ended yesterday afternoon in his conviction on four counts of mail fraud. His alleged co-conspirator Aaron DelValle (who ran as a stalking horse against 25th Ward Alderman Danny Solis in 2007 in what was largely seen as an HDO vendetta against the alderman) was convicted of perjury.

As Al Sanchez's trial on federal corruption charges wound down Wednesday, his lawyers made closing arguments before the jury, painting Sanchez as a community activist, a dedicated public servant, and, most telling, a victim of Mayor Daley's plan to use the city payroll as a reward for political work.

Al Sanchez took the stand in his own defense Tuesday, as the federal corruption trial against him continues. In a move widely expected based on defense attorneys questioning during the prosecution's case, Sanchez blamed much of the patronage hiring on Intergovernmental Affairs Office (IGA). After a week and a half of hearing testimony from current and former city employees who claimed that HDO political workers got first crack at city jobs in Streets and Sanitation, Sanchez testified that he only wanted qualified people to work for him, vehemently dening that he had anything to do with hiring. When Assistant U.S. Attorney Manish Shah asked Sanchez if he was the city's Streets and Sanitation Commissioner, Sanchez replied "I had nothing to do with the hiring." Referring to the IGA, Sanchez said "That's the way it worked."

The prosecution rested its case against Al Sanchez on Monday, after calling patronage workers and Streets and Sanitation insiders to the stand, and former associates from city departments that testified that they helped rig city hiring procedures to steer HDO campaign workers into city jobs.

The federal corruption trial against former Chicago Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Al Sanchez continued with prosecutors calling yet another city worker to the stand, and virtually forcing former HDO worker Aaron DelValle to testify.

Excited about Al Sanchez's trial? Longing for the good old days when the city could afford to pay a bunch of HDO ward heelers overtime to actually plow the streets? Got some tax refund money burning a hole in your pocket? Now you can own a collectible piece of Chicago! Thanks to Australian-based Quarry Diecast Models DownUnder, you can order your very own diecast model Chicago Streets and Sanitation truck. And don't forget to get a set of HDO workers to staff your vehicles. No word yet on whether they plan to issue diecast broken kitchen chairs to "dib" your model parking spot.

The trial of Al Sanchez, former Streets and Sanitation commissioner and head of the Hispanic Democratic Organization, started in earnest yesterday, as federal prosecutors began their opening statements. Sanchez, who is charged with seven counts of mail fraud, is accused of rigging city hiring to steer HDO workers into city jobs, effectively building a patronage army. According to prosecutors, the hiring and promotion process at City Hall was "rigged -- it was corrupt." Said Assistant U.S. Atty. Steven Grimes, "it was a sham from top to bottom...Mr. Sanchez used city jobs as currency."

With all the investigating and convicting going on these days, the case against the Hispanic Democratic Organization and its leadership hasn't been in the news much lately. With George Ryan out the way, the feds can get back to taking down the Chicago Machine. The first casualty of what will likely be many in that case came yesterday, with John Resa, an HDO coordinator who controlled some 70 city jobs, getting 15 months in prison...

One thing we've learned in our time as a font of synopsis, synthesis and snark of local news and events, is that when Da Mare gets in the press, it's all at once. And yesterday was no exception. After being gone for two weeks, Daley had a little bit to say about the Cline resignation, the recent settlement of patronage hiring, and the indictment of Al "Dirty" Sanchez. Daley indicated that after "the mistakes of...

If you had just arrived in Chicago yesterday, with no knowledge of the political history of this town for the last 100 years or so, you might think that the mayor here was some kind of forward-thinking good-government type. With the Tribune's headline announcing that the city had agreed to ban patronage, it would seem that Daley was taking corruption by the horns and stamping it out, once and for all. Not likely. In fact,...

Walgreens and Dominick's are going to participate in a Chicago-wide initiative to make recycling more popular. The two retailers will begin using blue plastic bags instead of their brownish ones to encourage Chicagoans to use the blue-bag recycling program. We have a blue-bag recycling program? Sheesh. Chicagoist is definitely going to environmental hell. City officials hope that just having blue bags around will make garbage-producers more likely to recycle. Al Sanchez, commissioner of the...