Ever wonder how many Illinois toll employees were laid off due to IPASS?
Posted on 02/04/2003 7:36:55 AM PST by fight_truth_decay
CHICAGO -- Unit 5 Investigation: An investigative report by Dave Savini uncovered 118 criminals working as toll collectors, lane walkers and drivers.
Savini reported that thieves, burglars and drug dealers were among the workers handling millions of dollars in cash a week.
"Millions of dollars have turned up missing at the tollway during the past decade," Savini said. "Some of it was allegedly miscounted, and some of it was simply ripped off."
Despite the missing money, Savini said, the tollway agency has continued to employ workers with criminal backgrounds.
"With that kind of history of theft (at the tollway agency), how is it that criminals continue to gain access to your toll money?" Savini asked.
Some of the workers are trusted to count millions of dollars a week, Savini said, and others move the money and load it onto trucks.
"Using computer-generated payroll records, we conducted background checks on every person who worked for the Illinois Toll Highway Authority for the last two years," Savini said.
"Among the roughly 2,000 employees, we found convicted thieves, burglars, drug dealers and forgerers."
Of the 118 workers Savini found with criminal backgrounds, some were convicted felons.
Kevin Mika
Savini said Kevin Mika used to be a Chicago building inspector but was fired after a sting operation caught him shaking down a building owner for bribe money.
"I'd like to ask you a couple of questions," Savini asked Mika.
"About what?" Mika responded.
"Your tollway job," Savini said.
"I got nothing to say," Mika said.
Savini said Mika is not accused of committing theft at the tollway.
John Jones
Savini asked another worker, John Jones, a similar question.
"You're working at the tollway despite a couple of felony convictions?" Savini asked.
"I have no comment on that," Jones said.
Jones then told Savini that his record is clean. He said he is not the same John Jones who was arrested for striking a woman's face while pointing a gun at her. he also said he was not the same John Jones who was given a seven-year prison sentence for dealing cocaine.
"I don't know anything about that," Jones said. "That's not me."
But Savini said a photo from state prison showed that Jones was the same man who went to prison on a cocaine conviction.
"That's not me, no sir," Jones continued to insist.
"But you are the John Jones who works for the tollway?" Savini asked.
"Yes, sir," Jones said.
"But you don't have a criminal record?" Savini asked.
"Not to my knowledge," Jones answered.
Savini said he had another photo of Jones -- a booking photo taken one and a half years ago for felony retail theft.
Jones is not accused of committing theft at the tollway, Savini said.
Henry Eley
Savini drove up to a tollway booth and confronted another worker, Henry Eley, at the collection booth.
"Records show you were convicted of stealing money from a bank," Savini said, asking Eley if it was true. Savini said court records show that in 1995, Eley was convicted of stealing $27,000 from a bank.
"It says you pled guilty to stealing money from a bank," Savini said, referring to a document as he paid his toll and accepted change from Eley.
Despite the guilty plea, Savini said, Eley was not fired from the tollway agency. Instead, he was promoted to Senior Tollway Collector, a position that paid him $53,000 last year, Savini said.
"Do you think you should be working for the tollway, taking people's money?" Savini asked.
"Get out of my lane," Eley responded.
Eley is not accused of committing theft at the tollway, Savini said.
Nick Nitti
Savini said he was unable to locate another tollway worker, Nick Nitti, but Chicago vice squad cops have been able to find him. Nitti's illegal gambling arrests date back to the 1970s, Savini said.
"We found he has two social security and driver's license numbers," Savini said.
Police sources told Savini that Nitti is a member of the Chicago mob's Grand Avenue street crew. He has an office at the Irving Park Toll Plaza, where he is an assistant tollway supervisor.
$109,000 Stolen By Former Workers
Savini asked again why there were not tighter controls on who is hired at the Illinois Toll Highway Authority, showing photos of three former workers who were convicted of stealing $109,000.
George Schvach
Savini talked to George Schvach, a former money room manager, about his conviction on charges of pulling off the biggest internal heist ever by an employee, by stealing $182,000.
"Did you steal money from the tollway?" Savini asked.
"No," Schvach said.
Schvach told Savini he would have had to walk out of what's supposed to be a highly secure building, with two security cameras and state police guards, with about four tons of coins.
"I would say I'm a magician if I could do that," Schvach said.
Schvach said that for his family's sake, he pled guilty and accepted a deal with no state prison time, to avoid an expensive, highly publicized trial.
Schvach asked Savini, if it's that easy to steal so much money, why would the agency allow ex-cons and felons to work there?
"They have some big holes to plug, and until they do that, they will continue to miss money," Schvach said.
Schvach, now unemployed, said he spends his time with his sons. He said if the tollway is still hiring felons, he's still looking for work.
"Well, maybe I will put in an application," Schvach said. "It could probably slip right through, and I could be working, collecting tolls again."
Schvach also said money may have disappeared because of mismanagement and improperly working counting machines.
In a written response to Savini's report, newly appointed tollway director Jack Hartman said the agency is taking immediate action to address the questions raised by the Unit 5 investigation.
Hartman said he ordered Illinois state police to "begin the process of conducting criminal background checks on all current employees."
"Suspension and termination procedures have already started on some of the felons we exposed working there," Savini said. "Of the 118 ex-cons we found, at least 18 were convicted felons."
Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn also responded to the investigative report, calling for a full review of all Illinois Toll Highway Authority workers.
"Hiring mugs and thugs is not the way you serve the public, especially when millions of dollars of the public's money is (involved)," Quinn said.
Follow-Up Report At 4:30 PM On NBC5
Feed can be played on site. Gov.Ryan left just in time after eliminating the death penalty..always was corruption just outside his door but he always came out of it all unscathed.
In that case, what exactly are they supposed to do?
Where are the environuts? All those cars waiting to pay a toll are just wasting fuel an polluting the air.
The tolls in IL. and many other states (my own NY) are nothing more than a make work jobs program. These union slugs are beholding to the party that got them their job.
Road use taxes are already applied to fuel. Why not eliminate this huge overhead and adjust the fuel tax to reflect the TRUE cost of building and maintaining roads? Nah, can't do that, the socialists need the votes
No, but there are a lot of folks who aren't rocket scientists - and who are not convicted felons.
In any case, most bridge and tunnel jobs are not minimum wage. They usually have municipal benefits packages, a salary that is comfortably above "minimum wage," and a chance for advancement. I knew someone who worked as a toll-taker on a bridge; the salary was average, similar to that of a low-level office worker. The work was, of course, boring, but that applies to many jobs.
My point is that these jobs are too sensitive,for many reasons, to accept people who have already demonstrated that they are seriously unable to abide by the laws of society. Let them go prove themselves in a less risky situation.
Would you hire a bank thief to hold your money?
The union proposal would seek equity with the Golden Gate employees by raising the state toll collectors' pay scale to $3029 - $3682.
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