taxpayer signDaily Dose of Chicago Corruption

8/25/15 – Illinois Comptroller announces state will not pay social service agencies in direct violation of a court order due to lack of funds. – Chicago Sun Times.
8/25/15 – The University of Illinois Provost is resigning, the second official to resign, after secret email accounts were exposed by whistle-blowers at the school. The secret email accounts were meant to avoid taxpayer scrutiny. – Associated Press.
8/25/15 – Criminal charges against a Chicago Police officer accused of threatening a Chicago Police Commander were dropped when the only witness died. – Chicago Sun Times.
8/28/15 – The fugitive wanted for crimes while serving as Chicago Comptroller is being returned by Pakistan to face charges. – Chicago Sun Times.
8/30/15 – The oil company leasing land from the Chicago Water Reclamation District failed to report a spill of 340,000 pounds of anti-freeze, its fourth leak since 2006. – Better Government Association.
8/31/15 – The new CEO of Chicago Public Schools ordered a budget cut of 20%, including laying off nine staffers from the previous CEO. He immediately replaced them with politically connected former colleagues at a cost of $900,000 per year. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/6/15 – Teamsters announce they and their members will contract legal services exclusively from the new law firm just opened by the son of the union’s leader and top Mayoral ally. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/8/15 – Chicago Inspector General says the Mayor overstated garbage collection savings by $42 million and that the city is assigning more garbage men than are needed to do the job. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/10/15 – The Illinois Lottery announces it has stopped paying winners of amounts over $25,000 due to lack of funds. – Chicago Tribune.
9/10/15 – Illinois Comptroller projects that by years-end, the state will have $8.5 billion in bills it can’t pay. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/10/15 – Chicago Transit Authority agrees to pay $4.3 million to the family of a woman killed by a CTA bus. The CTA had insisted the woman was killed by a separate car, even though the bus’ own video showed there was no other car. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/13/15 – Cook County agrees to pay $50,000 to the mother of a murder victim killed by the nephew of the former Chicago Mayor, and covered-up by the Cook County States Attorney’s office. – Chicago Tribune.
9/13/15 – The niece of a Chicago Congressman is exposed for working for the Congressman’s Church, but being paid by the company of a political contributor of the Congressman. – Better Government Association.
9/13/15 – The number of retired government employees collecting pension payments over $100,000 per year reached 14,320. – Better Government Association.
9/14/15 – Illinois government employee pension funds are attempting to reclaim $2.2 million in payments accidentally paid to deceased pensioners. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/15/15 – A Cook County Prosecutor from the State’s Attorney’s office was fired for giving false testimony in an attempt to convict a man of murdering a Chicago Police officer. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/16/15 – Chicago Public Schools admits it spent $2.9 million on fast food and restaurants in one year, but more than a third of the money can’t be accounted for. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/16/15 – Chicago Alderman suggests Chicago use its own internet infrastructure for internet service and stop paying private companies $53.3 million annually for a service the city can provide itself for free. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/17/15 – Cook County Jail guards sue taxpayers for $1 million because the Sheriff closed a portion of the prison and moved 150 guards to stations only 600 feet away. The guards claim it’s a violation of their union rules. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/17/15 – The Independent Police Review Authority recommended the firing of a Chicago Police Officer who killed an unarmed man but was acquitted of criminal charges. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/17/15 – The son of a former Chicago Police Superintendent was named the new chief judge of the Cook County Criminal Court. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/18/15 – Chicago-based US Air Marshals shown having sex with prostitutes during a fraudulent disability hearing. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/20/15 – Chicago Police Department finally fires officer who was the subject of 29 disciplinary hearings and been arrested four times. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/20/15 – Cook County State’s Attorney says she won’t re-open any of the six murder cases it prosecuted after Chicago City Hall requested so after a Chicago Police Detective was found falsifying evidence to obtain convictions. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/20/15 – Taxpayers in suburban South Holland paid $1.32 million for a piece of land valued at $1.1 million from the political associate of the city’s Mayor. The land was to be used for a train line that has yet to be built. – Daily Southtown.
9/22/15 – US President’s campaign manager’s law firm given $100,000 to conduct an outreach program to racially diversify the Chicago Police Department. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/25/15 – Court rules Chicago can’t nullify a fraudulent land lease to a political colleague of the former Chicago Mayor that provides millions of dollars in free city services and a lease payment far less than fair market value. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/25/15 – A former Chicago Police Lieutenant is suing the department claiming fellow officers labeled him an informant and a sex offender on social media after he stopped the sons of a fellow officer on the street for possible wrongdoing. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/27/15 – Documents released by the Chicago Police Department show the city has been secretly spying for decades on political activists, union leaders and even critics of the Chinese government. – Chicago Sun Times.
9/29/15 – A top political donor to the new Chicago Public Schools CEO will be awarded the agency’s lead attorney job even though he has no public sector experience. – Chicago Sun Times.
10/2/15 – Chicago Public Schools admits its graduation rate, originally released by the Mayor’s re-election campaign, was overstated and is actually 66.3 percent. – Better Government Association.
10/3/15 – Suburban Midlothian police officer receives a 15-month prison term for beating an innocent man even though the prosecution asked for a 6.5-year sentence. – Chicago Sun Times.
10/3/15 – Two Illinois Prisoner Review Board members were removed from the Board after two investigations were launched, including a false bankruptcy filing. – Chicago Sun Times.
10/4/15 – A Cook County Circuit Court judge is currently facing seven separate IRS liens to capture unpaid back taxes. – Chicago Sun Times.
10/4/15 – The state official for the newly elected Governor handling employment requests is using a secret, private email account instead of a government account. – Better Government Association.
10/4/15 – Of the 783 grants made by state taxpayers to companies for job creation, only 1 of 3 kept or added employees. – Chicago Tribune.
10/5/15 – The Chicago Metropolitan Water Reclamation police officer caught on tape bragging about drinking and sleeping on the job will receive an estimated $27,000 in extra pay this year for overtime. – Chicago Sun Times.

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