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Thursday, May 10, 2007

I really ran into this...

First and foremost I just got back home today so I'm just now checking my emails. I just now got DSL set up at home now I just want to make this post now. I haven't even checked out the Capitol Fax Blog today yet.

Anyway two stories that I found today. The first involves the former Alderman Edward Vrdolyak. He was the main man in opposition against the late Mayor Harold Washington. In recent years he's more of a Republican power broker although he used to be Cook County Democratic Party chairman. From Crain's...
A longtime fixture of Chicago politics, former Ald. Edward Vrdolyak (10th), was indicted Thursday on federal fraud and bribery charges in connection with an alleged kickback scheme involving the sale of choice property on the city’s Gold Coast.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald filed charges alleging that Mr. Vrdolyak schemed with businessman Stuart Levine to defraud the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science of the full value of land it owned at Dearborn and Oak streets.

Mr. Vrdolyak allegedly served as a middleman in the transaction between Mr. Levine, who then served on the school’s board and headed its real estate committee, and a developer interested in buying the property, Chicago-based Smithfield Properties.

Prosecutors contend the duo sought to split $1.5 million in kickbacks, with Smithfield initially offering millions of dollars less for the property than it eventually sold for.

Neither Mr. Vrdolyak, 69, long known in political circles as “Fast Eddie,” nor his lawyer immediately was available for comment.
More items from the Chicago Tribune
Vrdolyak indicted in real estate case
'Fast Eddie' finally gets nailed by John Kass

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