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CHICAGO -- U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said Thursday a series of arrests last year didn?t stop the bribery going on in the Chicago departments of Building and Zoning, it just made those involved get "sneakier."
Video: 15 Charged On Federal Bribery Charges
Fitzgerald made the statements when he announced the arrests of 15 people, including seven city inspectors, on federal bribery charges for allegedly exchanging cash payments and other benefits to falsify or expedite building, zoning and related permit matters.
One arrest occurred Wednesday and the rest early Thursday. The defendants were charged individually or in groups in eight separate criminal complaints, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney?s office. Seven defendants in one case and two in another are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Each of the six remaining defendants, charged individually, face one count of bribery.
The charges represent the second phase of an ongoing federal corruption investigation -- Operation Crooked Code -- which began last year when six defendants, including five city inspectors or employees, were charged, the release said.
In seven of the eight new cases announced Thursday, the defendants allegedly paid bribes to, or received bribes through, an individual identified as Cooperating Witness 1, a businessperson who takes permit applications and other construction issues to the city on behalf of homeowners and developers, the release said. This person began cooperating in May 2007 and has not yet been charged with any crime, but will be in the future.
According to the complaints made public today, the witness has provided agents with information about bribe activities involving more than 30 people, the release said. The information included recorded calls and meetings and playing the role of "bagman" by collecting bribe money from developers and contractors seeking some official act from a city employee or ?priority? handling of a project, then paying the bribes to city employees.
In the eighth case, evidence of the alleged bribery was obtained through court-authorized interception of phone conversations.
All 15 defendants are scheduled to appear at 3 p.m. Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin Ashman in U.S. District Court.
"The picture painted by the criminal charges shows sadly that the permit process in Chicago is governed by a separate set of rules for those who pay to corrupt the system," U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in the release. "These charges also show that last year?s arrests did not change the system enough. It didn?t stop the bribery. It just changed how the bribery was done; they got sneakier."
City Inspector General David Hoffman said: "Taxpayers pay city inspectors to enforce the law. Instead, the city employees charged today used their position to help people violate the law. For thousands of dollars in bribes, they wrote false inspection reports and issued fraudulent certificates. Our building-safety and zoning laws become meaningless when corrupt city employees help real-estate developers break the laws."
The defendants charged in one case include:
* Dumitru Curescu, 46, a contractor, and his wife, Lavinia Curescu, 42, both of Skokie;
* Vasile Fofiu, 57, of Skokie;
* Beny Garneata, 43, of Lincolnwood, a contractor/developer;
* Mario Olivella, 40, of Chicago, a plumbing inspector for the Department of Buildings;
* Teofil Scorte, 27, of Morton Grove, owner of Algin Construction and Development;
* William Wellhausen, 50, of Chicago, an inspector in the Department of Zoning.
Both Oros and Johnson were convicted of federal bribery charges in the first round of this investigation, the release said.
Charged in separate cases are:
* Ronald Piekarz, 47, of Chicago an architect; and MacArthur Milam, 56, of Chicago, a supervisory ventilation and furnace inspector for the city;
* Phyllis Mendenhall, 54, of Chicago, an inquiry aide in the Buildings Department;
* Petru Cladovan, 48, of Prospect Heights, a contractor and developer who owns ABC Construction & Plumbing;
* Anthony Valentino, 65, of Chicago, an investigator in the Zoning Department;
* Thomas Ziroli, 61, of Chicago, a a ventilation and furnace inspector in the Buildings Department;
* Louis Burns, 52, of Chicago, a clerk in the Buildings Department; and
* Lucian Muresan, 34, of Chicago, a general contractor who owned two buildings at 857 and 859 North Hermitage.
If convicted, defendants charged with bribery face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, while those charged with conspiracy to commit bribery face up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the release said.
Copyright 2008, Chicago Sun-Times Inc.
Copyright 2008 by NBC5.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Video: 15 Charged On Federal Bribery Charges
Fitzgerald made the statements when he announced the arrests of 15 people, including seven city inspectors, on federal bribery charges for allegedly exchanging cash payments and other benefits to falsify or expedite building, zoning and related permit matters.
One arrest occurred Wednesday and the rest early Thursday. The defendants were charged individually or in groups in eight separate criminal complaints, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney?s office. Seven defendants in one case and two in another are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Each of the six remaining defendants, charged individually, face one count of bribery.
The charges represent the second phase of an ongoing federal corruption investigation -- Operation Crooked Code -- which began last year when six defendants, including five city inspectors or employees, were charged, the release said.
In seven of the eight new cases announced Thursday, the defendants allegedly paid bribes to, or received bribes through, an individual identified as Cooperating Witness 1, a businessperson who takes permit applications and other construction issues to the city on behalf of homeowners and developers, the release said. This person began cooperating in May 2007 and has not yet been charged with any crime, but will be in the future.
According to the complaints made public today, the witness has provided agents with information about bribe activities involving more than 30 people, the release said. The information included recorded calls and meetings and playing the role of "bagman" by collecting bribe money from developers and contractors seeking some official act from a city employee or ?priority? handling of a project, then paying the bribes to city employees.
In the eighth case, evidence of the alleged bribery was obtained through court-authorized interception of phone conversations.
All 15 defendants are scheduled to appear at 3 p.m. Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin Ashman in U.S. District Court.
"The picture painted by the criminal charges shows sadly that the permit process in Chicago is governed by a separate set of rules for those who pay to corrupt the system," U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in the release. "These charges also show that last year?s arrests did not change the system enough. It didn?t stop the bribery. It just changed how the bribery was done; they got sneakier."
City Inspector General David Hoffman said: "Taxpayers pay city inspectors to enforce the law. Instead, the city employees charged today used their position to help people violate the law. For thousands of dollars in bribes, they wrote false inspection reports and issued fraudulent certificates. Our building-safety and zoning laws become meaningless when corrupt city employees help real-estate developers break the laws."
The defendants charged in one case include:
* Dumitru Curescu, 46, a contractor, and his wife, Lavinia Curescu, 42, both of Skokie;
* Vasile Fofiu, 57, of Skokie;
* Beny Garneata, 43, of Lincolnwood, a contractor/developer;
* Mario Olivella, 40, of Chicago, a plumbing inspector for the Department of Buildings;
* Teofil Scorte, 27, of Morton Grove, owner of Algin Construction and Development;
* William Wellhausen, 50, of Chicago, an inspector in the Department of Zoning.
Both Oros and Johnson were convicted of federal bribery charges in the first round of this investigation, the release said.
Charged in separate cases are:
* Ronald Piekarz, 47, of Chicago an architect; and MacArthur Milam, 56, of Chicago, a supervisory ventilation and furnace inspector for the city;
* Phyllis Mendenhall, 54, of Chicago, an inquiry aide in the Buildings Department;
* Petru Cladovan, 48, of Prospect Heights, a contractor and developer who owns ABC Construction & Plumbing;
* Anthony Valentino, 65, of Chicago, an investigator in the Zoning Department;
* Thomas Ziroli, 61, of Chicago, a a ventilation and furnace inspector in the Buildings Department;
* Louis Burns, 52, of Chicago, a clerk in the Buildings Department; and
* Lucian Muresan, 34, of Chicago, a general contractor who owned two buildings at 857 and 859 North Hermitage.
If convicted, defendants charged with bribery face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, while those charged with conspiracy to commit bribery face up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the release said.
Copyright 2008, Chicago Sun-Times Inc.
Copyright 2008 by NBC5.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Read all 9 comments ?
Cunosc si eu pe unul din ei l-am intilnit la un eveniment social...si unul din prietenii mei buni lucreaza pt unul din inculpati ca arhitect. In ultima saptamina de cite ori am vorbit cu el la telefon se tot auzeau bip bip la fiecare 10 sec. In seara asta cind m-a sunat sa imi spuna...din nou se auzeau bip-bip. I-am si spus...el nu auzea nimic. Oricum el nu are nimic de ascuns si nu e pe lista. Din pacate...comunitatea Romana s-a facut din nou de "bafta".
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good citizen
Petru Cladovan is a Pastor at Bethany Romanian Church in Niles. He is dirtier than dirt. Fraud, tax evation, bankruptcies, you name them he did them. Mitru Curescu is the leader of a worship group at the same church, worthy of raising his hands holy to the Lord. Lavinia is his unfortunate wife. Teofil Scorte is a Youth Pastor at Philadelphia Romanian Church on Sunnyside in Chicago.
Romo Cop
I am romanian and I know the Romanian men involved in this. Finally the federal agiencies have gotten involved and cracked down on them. Good citizen is absolutely correct about these men. That's very unfortunate they used the church to put up a front and fool people. With the exception of killing people (b/c they probably don't have it in them), they are no better than the mafia. And I am almost certain that I know who the cooperating witness is too. He needs it coming to him just as bad.
Petru Cladovan is a Pastor at Bethany Romanian Church in Niles. He is dirtier than dirt. Fraud, tax evation, bankruptcies, you name them he did them. Mitru Curescu is the leader of a worship group at the same church, worthy of raising his hands holy to the Lord. Lavinia is his unfortunate wife. Teofil Scorte is a Youth Pastor at Philadelphia Romanian Church on Sunnyside in Chicago.
Romo Cop
I am romanian and I know the Romanian men involved in this. Finally the federal agiencies have gotten involved and cracked down on them. Good citizen is absolutely correct about these men. That's very unfortunate they used the church to put up a front and fool people. With the exception of killing people (b/c they probably don't have it in them), they are no better than the mafia. And I am almost certain that I know who the cooperating witness is too. He needs it coming to him just as bad.