Many Chicago Department of Water Management employees, past and present, will have a opportunity soon to give a honest confession of past events. If anyone plans on telling lies, please read the article below. Patrick McDonough.
]]>Secretary of Hired Truck boss charged with perjury
FEDS | Accused of telling grand jury she saw no cash passed
July 27, 2007
BY ABDON M. PALLASCH Legal Affairs Reporter apallasch@suntimes.com
Hired Truck boss Angelo Torres’ secretary told a grand jury she never saw cash passed in the office, according to an indictment handed up Thursday.
She was lying and is now charged with one count of perjury, according to the indictment.
Valerie Jones, 40, becomes the 49th person charged in the Hired Truck scandal that has seen 44 people convicted since it began in January 2004.
CAUGHT IN SCANDAL
49 people have been charged in the federal government’s investigation of the Hired Truck Program and City Hall hiring.
44 have been convicted, including more than 20 city workers.
1 man who was charged will never go to trial because he died after a freak horseback-riding accident.
The Chicago Sun-Times broke the story in 2004 that the city was spending $40 million a year for clouted and connected truck companies — some with organized-crime ties — often to do nothing but sit by and watch as city crews worked.
Jones told the grand jury she never had any contact with the truck companies after she had left the office, that she never saw Torres with an envelope with money in it, and that she only once saw money being passed regarding the program.
In fact, the indictment alleges, Jones had regular contact with one trucking company owner, she did give Torres an envelope with $1,500 from another company owner, and she received several gifts herself from truck company owners, including one who paid a portion of a down payment on her car.
One 2000 memo obtained by the Sun-Times shows Jones told Torres a trucking company owner “shoved a bill into my hand and closed it.” That was after the owner offered to take Jones to lunch and she told him, “I already had lunch,” the memo says.
The company was suspended from the program three days later.
If convicted, Jones faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Reached at her home, Jones said, “I have no idea about that. I’ll have to call my lawyer. Thank you,” and hung up.
Jones’ former boss, Torres, was the first person charged in the investigation, three days after the Sun-Times began running its series on the program. He pleaded guilty to shaking down trucking contractors for bribes and political contributions and was sentenced to two years in prison.
Mayor Daley has said for the last three years that he does not know who appointed Torres to head the Hired Truck Program. Torres was active in the Hispanic Democratic Organization, which worked for Daley and candidates he supported.
“Mayor Daley has said for the last three years that he does not know who appointed Torres to head the Hired Truck Program.”
Another fine example of why our own, wonderful mayor needs every citizen’s help in ridding our city government of corrupt, dishonest people.
SOMEBODY is responsible for enabling and allowing all this corruption.
And, since we ALL know and trust our wonderful mayor, who would NEVER lie, it MUST be that OTHER PEOPLE are doing all these criminal activities.
Since the city council has the authority that controls and approves all the financial decisions that our taxes are spent on, it MUST BE the city council members who are doing all these criminal activities.
So, if we citizens really care about our wonderful mayor, we should ALL register to vote and, on the next election day, HELP RICHIE OUT, by VOTING OUT all these dishonest city councilmen and city councilwomen.
It only makes sense, don’t you see?
SAVE OUR WONDERFUL MAYOR from these dishonest crooks who have infested our city council!!!!!
DO YOU KNOW VALARIE WORKED IN THE CITY BUILDING DEPARTMENT. VALARIE WAS MOVED OVER TO THE DOB AFTER ANGELO TORRES WAS INDICTED. THE RUMORS ARE VALARIE HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH AL SANCHEZ. SHE WAS FIRED BY THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT IN MAY, JUST BEFORE SHE WAS INDICTED .STRANGE ! AFTER THE F.B.I ARRESTED BUILDING DEPT BAG MAN DAVID JOHNSON—- TWO HIGH BUILDING DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS RESIGNED ,A WEEK BEFORE THE F.B.I RAIDED THE BUILDING DEPT,AND TOOK THEIR COMPUTERS AWAY.( WILLIAM DOYLE AND TOM DOENALLAN.) VALARIE NAME IS ON THE LIST
CORRECTION ON POSTING OF…
Another mayor setback for H.D.O…Another one bites the dust!
Anonymous sources from the Department of Streets and Sanitation have said that top H.D.O. Lieutenant and Enforcer Mickey (the thug)Mantilla is on administrative leave for sexual harassment.
Mantilla who is a notorious ex-gang banger with a violent and uncontrollable temper is known for harassing and terrorizing City employees and has over two hundred grievances or complaints pending against him. He has close associations with H.D.O. powerhouse Al Sanchez, 30th Ward Alderman Ariel E. Reboyras and 20th District State Senator Iris Y. Martinez.
Since the heat has been on H.D.O. and Mantilla, the Department of Streets and Sanitation was hiding Mantilla at the Bureau of Street Operation’s under Lower Wacker Drive in charge of Graffiti until the above incident took place.
It appears Mantilla is not on administrative leave but in hiding again as an inspector with Streets and Sanitation. Our friends at the Chicago Tribune found him the other day, please refer to the following article.
(City, firm at odds over new accusation of falling materials)
By Karoun Demirjian | Tribune staff reporter
July 24, 2007
Debris falling from an open window at the Plymouth building, a historic structure currently undergoing renovations, struck a woman walking along South Dearborn Street Monday morning, injuring one of her legs and causing construction to be halted, city officials said. For the last year and half, L.S. Construction and Development has been gutting the interior of the slender 11-story building at 417 S. Dearborn St., which dates back to 1898, while maintaining its historic facade.
The Chicago Department of Buildings stopped operations there Monday morning.
Mickey Mantilla, an inspector with Chicago Streets and Sanitation, arrived at the building at 8:30 a.m., after hearing reports of falling debris.
“We received a call that debris was coming down from a 10th-floor window,” he said.
“It almost looked like it had been swept up, but you could see the chalky markings where some debris had hit the ground.”
Construction workers had been breaking down the ceiling on that floor and the windows had been open, Mantilla explained.
Look into this one Pat; I been with Buildings to long but not damn long enough to retire. Why does the mayor give us a new commissioner, we’ve had more than I can count on two hands now, and this guy Richard Rodriguez who was in charge of Construction and Permits comes in after a few days and fires about 7 people. City hall sources say about 2 or 3 of those fired were brought here to clean up the corruption here. Does he just want to bring in his cronies or were they getting to close to the truth about the funny business going on here. (some of them were fixing things here, digging deep which probably got them fired, and were treating people good). I’m tired of people looking at me like I am on the take when I say I work for buildings but I just have to put in my few more and I’m out. And Rodriguez had people arrested for bribes in his department of permits too so why is it he comes here getting rid of good people, some of them, and treating the rest of us like shit. And I hear one lady got Bob Ryan’s undies in a bunch and that’s why digging deep got her fired. Rodriguez acts like his shit dont stink and so do lot of his people, Marleen Hopskins walking around here like shes the queen of the world but she don’t know shit. Like I said look into this one because something ain’t right.