More and more....Is there anyone in Chicago with a dollar in their pocket that didn’t take it from someone else?
FROM:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-kass-05-jul05,0,1570658.column?page=1
VIA:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285968/posts
Whether the name of Richie Urso ever makes it into the corruption trial of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich next June is anybody’s guess.
You’ve probably never heard of Richie Urso. But the FBI sure has heard of him.
His is a classic Chicago story, about a beefy yet charming guy born on Grand Avenue, who got in trouble with the law as a kid, only to make political friends and become extremely wealthy.
He was arrested once for jewelry theft in the ‘60s by the Outfit’s top Chicago police detective, William Hanhardt. Urso’s alleged partner in the theft was the mob enforcer Frankie Cullotta, who later became the technical adviser for the movie “Casino.” The charges against Urso went away. Like I said, it’s a Chicago story.
...snip...
He was worth millions in real estate. He was also the victim of an Outfit shakedown that figured in the FBI’s landmark Family Secrets case against top mob bosses.
Now the FBI is going through his business, interested in his associates, including former Mutual Bank of Harvey boss Amrish Mahajan, who has dropped off the political map. Though not charged, Uncle Amrish is under investigation
...snip...
Amrish Mahajan was a political connection for Daley, Blagojevich and other politicians to the Indian community. His wife, Anita, said, “He did not go on the trip with the mayor.”
Anita — charged with bilking the state out of millions of dollars in phony drug tests — said her husband was in India, and unreachable.
After Richie’s death in 2003, lenders called in their notes. Lawyers demanded big fees. The will that he told Joanne was stashed in a Mutual Bank safe deposit box was never found.
And Daley’s City Hall, which had never given Richie much trouble, suddenly slapped Joanne with a series of citations on their properties.
...snip...
She told me Richie died of a heart attack on the kitchen floor of a girlfriend’s home, on April 15, 2003.
...
...The woman is Mary Ann Dinovo, who works in human resources for the county tax review board, which handles tax appeals for every parcel of real estate in the county.
Place holder. I grew up in Hinsdale. I still have trouble convincing people in the rest of the country just how bad Chicago is.