Posted on 02/15/2005 7:29:00 PM PST by Land_of_Lincoln_John
Tollway contract linked to convicted felon By Chuck Goudie February 15, 2005 — The I-Team uncovered a food contract between the Illinois Tollway and a company that has ties to a mega millionaire. Eddie Debartolo Jr. is also a convicted felon. Debartolo was once caught bribing Louisiana's governor with a briefcase full of cash.
A company launched by Debartolo is opening pizzerias inside every renovated tollway oasis in Illinois. Tollway officials defend the deal.
Eddie Debartolo Jr. is one of the country's 300 richest men. The Notre Dame graduate's net worth is estimated at more than $900-million, made mostly through primarily from real estate and shopping centers.
Debartolo was the owner of the NFL's San Francisco 49er's. He was forced to permanently leave the business after pleading guilty in a gambling scandal involving a corrupt southern governor. Now Debartolo's pizza place is open for business at the O'Hare Oasis in Schiller Park.
Famous Famiglia has a firm ten-year state contract to sell pizza pies at the refurbished Illinois Tollway Oases. Two are open now. Two more will open this week with the last three after that. The contract for the oasis pizza parlors is with a company called: FD Leasing, of White Plains, NY. The "F" is for Famiglia. The "D" is for Debartolo.
The partnership was announced more than a year ago in Tampa, Florida, where Debartolo lives. In a press release, Debartolo hails the agreement between the new partners, led by the Debartolo and Kolaj family of New York. Debartolo said the numerous "similarities between the two families brought us together."
After guiding the San Francisco 49er's to five Super Bowl championships, Debartolo was defrocked as team owner in a corruption scandal. The FBI caught him on undercover video delivering $400,000 in an attaché case to then Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards. The money was an illegal payment for the state's last casino license.
Debartolo pleaded guilty to a reduced felony and cooperated with prosecutors in the case against Edwards.
Despite Debartolo's record -- and a prohibition against state contracts for felons -- the company got the deal. Illinois State Toll Highway Authority officials said the pizza contract is not with Debartolo. They said the contract is with FD Leasing and Debartolo's name is nowhere on the contract.
Tollway officials said their legal staff reviewed the deal and concluded that it didn't fall within the felon prohibition because FD was not involved in the corruption problem.
According to Famous Famiglia Company President Paul Kolaj, it is Debartolo's three daughters who own half of the company that got the Illinois tollway contract. When asked if Debartolo's daughter's put up their own money, Kolaj refused to answer, saying that's "a little too much detail."
The state's selection of a New York firm to open pizza joints in the pizza capital of the country is also curious, especially since Famiglia's claim to fame is that they are the official pizza of the New York Yankees.
So why was New York selected and not a Chicago pizza maker? The company's president laughed and said, "I think the guy was drunk when he gave it to us."
He admits though, sales are not great so far although they are looking to bid for O'Hare and Midway airports concessions when those contracts come up.
However, Kolaj said his firm was selected because it is a strong, successful brand. Another reason: nobody else wanted the oasis pizza concession, according to the outside company doing the deals. The president of Wilton Partners said that not one Chicago pizza maker was willing to comply with the terms of the lease.
Eddie Debartolo Jr. is also a convicted felon. Debartolo was once caught bribing Louisiana's governor with a briefcase full of cash
aha!
Sounds like business as usual in Illinois. Since when is a felon with a briefcase full of cash not welcome there?
But our governor, Democrat Rod Blagojevich, said he was going to change all that.
My blood pressure goes up every time I see that little Crapweasel's name.
IIRC, deBartelo is from Youngstown OH.
Sadly the 49ers haven't been the same since.
I thought it was the same Debartolo. Gee, a corrupt business man from Youngstown, who'd woulda thunk. I wonder if Youngstown is still chuck full of corruption?? (I grew up 15 miles east of there in PA.)
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