Posted 03/09/2010 06:57 PM ET
from: second page of above.
One of the people Giannoulias cared about, apparently, was Michael “Jaws” Giorango, a Chicagoan with multiple convictions for bookmaking and promoting prostitution. As Ed Morrissey reported when he ran his Captain’s Quarters blog, Giannoulias approved some $11.8 million in loans to Giorango and associates after Giorango was convicted in 2004 for running a prostitution ring.
In answering questions about Broadway’s loans to Giorango during a 70-minute meeting with the Tribune editorial board, Giannoulias, the newspaper reported, “at first contended he was unaware of Giorango’s criminal history. That contradicted Giannoulias’ comments in 2006 to the Tribune, in which he acknowledged knowing Giorango had a criminal background.”
Stolen for the chicago crime thread.... Where corruption is linked and linked and linked......
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2469634/posts
Boston Blackie’s owners arrested in check-kiting scheme (Illinois Senate Race)
Chicago Breaking News ^ | 3.12.10
Posted on Friday, March 12, 2010 12:24:48 PM by Thebaddog
A father and son who operated the Boston Blackie’s burger restaurants were charged Thursday with ripping off nearly $1.9 million from two banks in a check-cashing scheme, and authorities said they arrested the father on the U.S. border as he was trying to enter Canada.
The allegations caused a new round of political embarrassment for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, whose family owns Broadway Bank and has long known the father and son.
The Blackie’s operators are accused of writing bad checks from their accounts at Broadway to other banks as part of their alleged scheme. Longtime Blackie’s operator Nick Giannis gave Giannoulias more than $114,000 in campaign contributions for his treasurer and Senate campaigns.
Giannoulias was in a state of “shock and disbelief” at the news, according to his campaign, which announced he would donate an equivalent amount to local charities.
Giannis, 62, his son, Chris, 38, and restaurant manager Andy Bakopoulos, 38, were charged with defrauding Charter One and Washington Mutual banks. Chris Giannis also was charged with two counts of being an organizer of a continuing financial crimes enterprise. Nick Giannis was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Detroit while attempting to enter Canada after he failed to surrender to authorities and investigators sent out a nationwide alert.
Prosecutors said the men participated in a so-called check-kiting scheme in which they wrote checks from bank accounts that didn’t have enough money and deposited those checks at Charter One and Washington Mutual. They then withdrew money from their Charter One and Washington Mutual accounts before the checks actually cleared, or in some cases stopped payments on the checks.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagobreakingnews.com ...