I love Chicago, my birthplace and about a 3 minute walk from my current home.  It’s endless news on the crime front: from Joey “The Clown” Lombardo’s sentencing to the corruption of ex-cops like Jimmie Akins, Michael Ciancio, and William Cozzi, to the story of 14 year old boy Vincent Richardson who dressed like a cop and rode with the traffic patrol for an entire day.  We’ve got endless crime, but the crime of public officials takes the cake for this blogger.

Today we add the 6th incident in a week with charges filed against Al Sanchez, the City of Chicago Streets and Sanitation Commissioner.  Sanchez, alledges Federal prosectors today in court, forced possible hirees to do manual labor for him before he’d decide on their future jobs.  The Feds have been conducting quite a long operation looking into possible patronage and payoffs in Chicago’s City Hall.

The court indictment alledges that Sanchez forced others into labor, with some seen mowing the lawn, shoveling snow and washing windows at the Sanchez’s home.  Sanchez was a leader of the Hispanic Democratic Organization.  The HDO played a strong part the political success of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, who has been not been accused of any wrongdoing in the investigation.  According to the prosecutors’ filing, the HDO was instrumental in the 2003 re-election of 10th Ward Alderman John Pope, who was an ex-Daley aide.  Al Sanchez led the HDO’s Southeast chapter and allegedly plotted to discourage Hispanics from running against Pope.  The group gathered about 2,500 voters’ signatures to get one of their members on the ballot.  Six weeks later, their member dropped out of the race when all other serious challengers had been scared off, according to Federal prosecutor.

The court papers included many statements against various HDO Southeast members.  ”Individual HDO Southeast participants who sought job-related benefits included individuals who provided Sanchez with various personal services and things of value.”  One man was told to go to Sanchez’ house to perform some work where he ”observed multiple HDO participants at Sanchez’s house performing yard work and washing the windows of Sanchez’s house.”  Another was asked ”to perform services at Sanchez’s house, including cutting grass, removing snow and cleaning the yard” according to the papers filed.  

The Shakman Decree, a 1969 court order, makes political patronage illegal in most cases.  Sanchez is being defended by attorney Thomas Breen, who has commented in the past that Sanchez has done nothing wrong.  Sanchez plead not guilty in Federal court today. 

 In 2007, four other Daley political cronies have been sent to prison for rigging city hiring, including Robert Sorich, Daley’s ex-patronage chief.  Sorich is now  serving a prison sentence, and Federal prosecutors are assumed to involve some witnesses from his prosecution against Sanchez.  Sanchez has been charged with 9 counts of mail fraud.  His trial starts in March, 2009.

Photos licensed under the Creative Commons license from the flickr site of benderbending.

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