McHenry County Blog

Robert Bless

Pete Gonigam at the First Electric Newspaper reports that former McHenry County Board member Robert Bless has been let go by the Cook County Sheriff’s Department.

That county’s Merit Commission, which apparently actually has meetings, unlike the McHenry County Sheriff’s Merit Commission, found Bless to have “lied to [the Cook County Sheriff's Office] so he could work two additional jobs” while on disability pay, First Electric reports.

There are various findings of the Cook County disciplinary agency, but the one I found most interested was his being on “‘duty injury’ status…That included a medical ban on driving a car and the Merit Board was especially incensed that ‘not only was [Bless] driving…[he] was getting reimbursed for such driving by the taxpayers of McHenry County.’”

The McHenry County Board pays mileage to equalize compensation for members who live at the far ends of the County. Bless lives in Fox River Grove.

The cover of the 1984 paperback edition of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm.” Some barnyard animals were more equal that others.

It’s OK for Chicago Alderman to carry concealed handguns, but not its citizens.

It’s OK for suburban Cook County residents to carry concealed guns, but not Chicagoans.

That’s what I conclude after listening to part of a WBEZ interview with State Senator Kwame Raoul, the sponsor of the Illinois State Senate’s concealed carry legislation.

First he wanted the Cook County Sheriff to approve all concealed carry permits outside of Chicago. Chicago residents would have to pass the muster of Chicago’s top cop.

Then Chicago resident Raoul apparently figured out that some municipalities like Elgin, Barrington, Buffalo Grove are in both Cook and surrounding counties.

People on one side of those cities would have the right to protect themselves on the street, but not others.

Oh, the confusion.

“More Guns, Less Crime” by John Lott.

So Raoul backed off from denying most suburban Cook County residents from their Second Amendment rights, as defined by the Federal Appellate Court sitting in Chicago, and decided to focus on his hometown, the place where people need to be able to protect themselves more than anywhere else in Illinois.

He would only require his constituents and other Chicago residents to prove they had a need to carry a weapon.

And, his bill would allow Home Rule municipalities in suburban Cook County the power to require approval from a local law enforcement official. (I didn’t listen long enough to know whether that would be the local police chief or the Cook County Sheriff.)

Basic economics teaches that when one prices something high that few will be sold.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has proposed that Cook County residents be charged $300 to apply for a concealed carry license. That’s what the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

That will keep poor blacks and Latinos, not to mention white people from being able to legally protect themselves.

Charging $300 to apply for a concealed carry permit in Cook County, as Sheriff Tom Dart proposes, will effectively price honest poor people out of the ability to protect themselves from gang bangers.

John Lott made that point in is “More Guns, Less Crime” (review here of most recent 2010 edition).

It is so intuitive that I wonder if any of the liberal commentators will pick up on what appears to be racial discrimination.

The article tells of Dart speaking “to elderly people in the south suburbs. They complained that the police were unresponsive. Some said they were regularly burglarized while they attended church.”

Does he think elderly people have $300 to spare in order to exercise a Constitutional Right?

The Federal Appellate Court decision granting concealed carry rights to Illinois residents does not say that poor people have less of a right than middle class and rich people to carry guns to protect themselves.

As the decision says,

“The Supreme Court has decided that the [Second A]mendment confers a right to bear arms for self-defense, which is as important outside the home as inside.”

Dart said the $300 fee would pay for administrative fees.”

Cook County Jail is finally routinely testing new prisoners for HIV.

More than 20 years ago, State Rep. Penny Pullen was pushing for inmates to be tested for HIV upon incarceration.

She was even willing to settle for testing upon release.

Why?

In the hope that those in prison might be less likely to infect others if they knew they were infected.

That was in the years when AIDS activists seemed to think the virus should have more civil rights than humans.

Well, now the Chicago Tribune is reporting that the Cook County Jail is routinely testing those on the way in.

Why?

Sheriff’s Department officials are “hoping to put a dent in the number of people who have the virus but don’t know it.”

That’s what the Chicago Tribune reports.

State prisons are next, the article says.

And, echoing the argument I made in the 1990′s, “Experts say correctional facilities have been a key battleground in the fight against HIV.”

Better late than never, I guess.

But think how many HIV infections could have been prevented if people like Illinois Department of Corrections Director Howard Peters had had the courage to follow the facts in the mid-1990′s, rather than political correctness.

And some wonder why I think government is incompetent.

Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks is mining for gold in Chicago Wednesday night at the Paris Club, 59 W. Hubbard, Chicago.

Jack Franks photoshopped himself into this Paris, France, location in his invitation to a August 1, 2012, fund raiser at Chicago’s Paris Club.

The minimum price is $250 for the unopposed candidate for State Rep.

Unopposed because the McHenry County Republican Party didn’t want to unleash Tea Party activist Tonya Franklin on him.

The local GOP decided nobody was better than somebody.

Sort of a variation on the reply Abner Mikva got from a Chicago Ward Committeeman’s office when he went to volunteer as a University of Chicago student:

“We don’t want somebody nobody sent.”

Franks was overheard at the McHenry Fiesta Days Parade backing and filling when he was asked if he were going to vote to re-elected House Speaker Mike Madigan.

Mike Madigan’s name is on the top of Jack Franks’ Chicago fundraising invitation.

Take a look at the invitation.

Who’s name is right on top?

Michael J. Madigan.

What a surprise.

Other Chicago politicians asking folks to “join them in honoring State Representative Jack Franks” are Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and Chicago Alderman Ed Burke.

The song “We Are Family” comes to mind.

Although the bottom price is $250, Franks is pitching for $5,000, the maximum one is now allowed to contribute unless one has money in a candidate or leadership Political Action Committee.

= = = = =
Republican State Rep. Mike Tryon is holding a fund raiser the same Wednesday night in Huntley, which is located both in his old and new districts.

The bottom price is $40, but a $1,500+ contribution level is the highest listed.

Take a look at this short Thursday article from the Chicago Sun-Times:

Probation for bringing drugs into prison.

When I was on the Illinois House Prison Reform Committee, I asked every warden why he couldn’t keep drugs out of his prison.

“My constituents don’t understand why you can’t keep drugs out of a prison where you control all the access,” I would point out.

I never got a good answer.

And now, a Cook County Judge has given probation to a Cook County Jail guard for trying to smuggle marijuana into the complex.

With no jail time, you can probably figure out why the reward might outweigh the penalty for prison guards.

The proposed $1 a pack increase in cigarette taxes will make tax evasion twice as profitable.

A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Officeabout cigarette bootlegging offenses before the tax is increase another $1 a pack:

U.S. INDICTS 10 DEFENDANTS ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY TRAFFICKING MILLIONS OF UNSTAMPED, UNTAXED CIGARETTES IN UNDERCOVER STING

CHICAGO — At an undercover warehouse in suburban Hickory Hills, defendants allegedly brought millions of dollars in cash, firearms, narcotics, and counterfeit cigarette tax stamps to purchase millions of unstamped, untaxed cigarettes from two cooperating individuals working undercover with federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Altogether, between March 2010 and March 2012, defendants allegedly paid more than $20 million to buy more than 100 million cigarettes without paying Cook County and State of Illinois taxes.

The investigation resulted in federal charges against more than a dozen defendants, including a veteran Cook County sheriff’s police officer.

Following their arrest on March 13, 2012, 10 of those defendants were formally charged in six indictments that were returned yesterday by a federal grand jury, while other defendants remain charged in complaints that were filed previously.

Patrick Fitzgerald

The indictments were announced by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Andrew L. Traver, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of ATF; and Thomas M. Jankowski, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago. The Illinois Department of Revenue and the Hickory Hills Police Department provided valuable assistance in the investigation.

“The distribution of untaxed cigarettes deprives the state and county of significant revenue and this investigation shows that we will work aggressively to ensure that those who allegedly traffic in contraband cigarettes are prosecuted,” Mr. Traver said.

According to court documents, distributors or wholesalers of cigarettes in Illinois must apply for and receive a license from the Illinois Department of Revenue.

Licensed distributors must also purchase tax stamps from the state and Cook County and affix the stamps to each pack of cigarettes that they sell, evidencing proof that the taxes have been paid.

Beginning in March 2010, two cooperating individuals (CS1 and CS2) sold unstamped cigarettes under the direction of ATF agents, and they recorded their telephone conversations and in-person meetings with their customers.

After October 2010, the vast majority of sales of unstamped cigarettes occurred at an undercover warehouse operated by ATF agents, with hidden cameras capturing audio and video recordings of meetings between CS1 and CS2 and their customers.

Between June 2011 and February, 2012, a pending criminal complaint alleges that

• Lawrence E. Draus, also known as “Eric,” 33, of Peotone, and
• his father, Lawrence A. Draus,, also known as “Larry,” 62, of Lansing, a Sheriff’s Police officer who was assigned to the Special Operations Division, Vice Unit, in Maywood

conspired to commit extortion by obtaining at least $10,000 to protect the cigarette trafficking from the warehouse.

Cigarette smoke pours out of this car.

Lawrence E. Draus, was also charged with purchasing contraband cigarettes.

Both defendants were released on bond and the charges remain pending.

The following six indictments were returned yesterday against a total of 10 defendants, all of whom were released on bond following their arrest in March and will be arraigned on later dates in U.S. District Court:

United States v. Mustafa Mohd Shaikh, 12 CR 166

Mustafa Mohd Shaikh, 47, of Tinley Park, was charged with 17 counts of trafficking contraband cigarettes, two counts of money laundering, and two counts of filing false federal income tax returns in a 21-count indictment.

Between March 2010 and February 2012, Shaikh allegedly conducted at least 66 transactions in which he paid the two cooperating individuals more than $9 million for more than 32 million unstamped cigarettes.

The indictment seek forfeiture of at least $680,000, including $600,000 that was seized when Shaikh was arrested, as well as an additional $37,200 that was seized a day later from two bank accounts and his residence, and two vehicles that were seized, a 2012 Infiniti QX56 and a 2009 Nissan Altima.

One money laundering count alleges that Shaikh attempted to illegally transfer money to Jordan, and the tax counts allege that he under-reported his total income on his 2010 and 2011 income tax returns.

United States v. Zulfiqar Alvi and John James, 12 CR 173

• Zulfiqar Alvi, 62, of Justice, was charged with four counts of trafficking contraband cigarettes and two counts of filing false federal income tax returns, and
• John James, 66, of Bourbonnais, was charged with three counts of trafficking contraband cigarettes and one count of possessing and selling counterfeit tax stamps, in an eight-count indictment.

Alvi allegedly conducted approximately 69 transactions in which he paid the two cooperating individuals more than $4 million for more than 32 million unstamped cigarettes. James allegedly conducted 11 transactions in which he paid approximately $675,000 for more than 6 million unstamped cigarettes. Alvi also allegedly under-reported his total income on his 2010 and 2011 income tax returns.

United States v. Aiman Othman, 12 CR 168

Aiman Othman, 32, of Oak Lawn, was charged with seven counts of trafficking contraband cigarettes, one count of money laundering, two counts of illegally possessing firearms as a previously convicted felon, and one count of dealing firearms without a license in an 11-count indictment. Othman allegedly conducted 44 transactions in which he paid the two cooperating individuals more than $3.4 million and provided 161 firearms in exchange for more than 23.1 million unstamped cigarettes. The indictment seeks forfeiture of approximately 161 firearms that were seized during the investigation and a 2008 Cadillac Escalade.

United States v. Firas el Matari and Ammar el Matari, 12 CR 171

• Firas el Matari, 37, and
• his brother, Ammar el Matari, 33,

both of Tinley Park, were each charged with one count of conspiracy to traffic contraband cigarettes in an 11-count indictment. Firas el Matari was also charged with seven counts of trafficking contraband cigarettes and one count of possessing and selling counterfeit tax stamps, while Ammar el Matari was also charged with six counts of trafficking contraband cigarettes. Together, they allegedly conducted approximately 25 transactions in which they paid more than $3.3 million for more than 23 million unstamped cigarettes.

A DuPage County gas station advertises lower taxes than in Cook County.

United States v. Mohammad al Sakhleh and Mahmoud al Qaisi, 12 CR 170

• Mohammad Al Sakhleh, 27, of Merced, Calif., and
• Mahmoud Al Qaisi, 41, of Justice,

were each charged with one count of conspiracy to traffic contraband cigarettes in a five-count indictment. Al Sakhleh was also charged with one count each of trafficking contraband cigarettes and money laundering, while Al Qaisi was also charged with two counts of trafficking contraband cigarettes. The charges allege that Al Sakhleh obtained contraband cigarettes bearing counterfeit New York and New Jersey tax stamps, and that Al Qaisi would find buyers for the cigarettes. Together, they allegedly purchased approximately 3.6 million cigarettes for more than $450,000. The indictment seeks forfeiture of $100,000 that was seized when they were arrested, as well as an additional $159,000 from Al Sakhleh in alleged money laundering proceeds.

United States v. Victoria Jaber and Chadia Abueid, 12 CR 172

• Victoria Jaber, 30, of Chicago, and
• Chadia Abueid, 32, of Chicago,

were each charged with one count of conspiracy to traffic contraband cigarettes in a 13-count indictment. Jaber was also charged with five counts of trafficking contraband cigarettes, two counts of possessing and selling counterfeit tax stamps, and four counts of distributing cocaine, while Abueid was also charged with four counts of trafficking contraband cigarettes and three counts of possessing and selling counterfeit tax stamps. Together, Jaber and Abueid allegedly conducted 26 transactions in which they paid $291,000 for more than 2.8 million unstamped cigarettes. They also exchanged approximately 100,000 counterfeit tax stamps for contraband cigarettes, which they resold for a profit, the charges allege. Jaber also allegedly distributed a total of approximately 4.9 kilograms of cocaine to one of the cooperating individuals.

The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sunil R. Harjani, Christopher T. Grohman, and Scott V. Bruner.

The charges in these cases carry the following maximum penalties on each count:

• conspiracy and trafficking contraband cigarettes — five years in prison and a $250,000 fine;
• possessing and selling counterfeit tax stamps — 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine;
• money laundering — different statutes carry a maximum of either 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, or 10 years and a $250,000 fine, and both provide for an alternative fine totaling twice the amount of the funds involved in the transaction;
• filing a false federal income tax return — three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In addition, a defendant convicted of tax offenses faces mandatory costs of prosecution and remains civilly liable to the Government for any and all back taxes, as well as a potential civil fraud penalty of up to 75 percent of the underpayment plus interest; and
• distribution of cocaine — mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison and a maximum fine of $5 million.

If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The public is reminded that indictments and complaints contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Bob Bless

Columbia Journalism School grad Pete Gonigam, Editor of the First Electric Newspaper, wrote an article last Thursday about the legal problems of District 1 McHenry County Board member Robert Bless.

Bless is running for re-election this fall, along with two other incumbents and one who lost the 2010 primary election and seeks a comeback.

The Democrats are running only one candidate.

Gonigam reports information from the Cook County Sheriff’s Department, where Bless is employed.

Gonigam talked to Bless at the Rolling Meadows Cook County Circuit Court, where he is stationed.

In addition, Gonigam mentions the open Attorney and Disciplinary Commission’s investigation.   You can read the complaint here.

On top of that Gonigam reports on a Cook County Grand Jury investigation.

There’s also a civil suit that Gonigam uncovered.

Since he did the research, you should go to the original source.

A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

FORMER SUBURBAN MASSAGE PARLOR OPERATOR CONVICTED OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING OF FOUR WOMEN

CHICAGO — A federal jury today convicted a northwest suburban massage parlor owner of various federal crimes including sex-trafficking, forced labor, harboring illegal aliens, confiscating passports to further forced labor, and extortion involving four foreign women whom he mentally and physically abused while forcing them to work for him between July 2008 and January 2010.

The defendant, Alex Campbell, was found guilty of three counts each of

• forced labor,
• harboring illegal aliens for financial gain, and
• confiscating passports and other immigration documents to force the victims to work,

and one count each of

• sex trafficking by force, and
• extortion.

The jury deliberated approximately two to three hours beginning last Thursday afternoon following a three-week trial in U.S. District Court.

The trial showed that Campbell, who formerly operated the Day and Night Spa on Northwest Highway in Mt. Prospect, used violence and threats of violence to force three women from the Ukraine and one from Belarus to work for him without pay and, at times, little to no subsistence.

Campbell, also known as “Dave” and “Daddy,” 45, formerly of Glenview, remains in federal custody without bond and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life on the sex-trafficking count alone, as well as prison terms ranging from a maximum of 5 to 20 years on each of the remaining counts.

Patrick Fitzgerald

U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman scheduled a hearing on post-trial motions for April 19. No date was immediately set for sentencing.

“I commend the prosecutors and investigators for their dedication and teamwork in working with the victims to bring this case to trial and achieve a successful result,” said Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

“The Civil Rights Division is committed to bringing human traffickers to justice and to protecting the victims of modern-day slavery,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.

“These crimes against the individual rights of the most vulnerable members of our society will not be tolerated in the United States.”

“Forced labor and sex trafficking preys upon vulnerable women and is tantamount to modern-day slavery,” said Gary J. Hartwig, Special Agent-in-Charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago.

“The jury has vindicated the rights of four women who suffered mental and physical abuse, sexual exploitation, extortion, and threats of deportation, all so Alex Campbell could make a profit. HSI is at the forefront of the government’s fight against human trafficking. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to combat this serious crime.”

Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart, whose sheriff’s police initiated the investigation, said,

“I am extremely proud of the concerted effort and cooperation by both my office and those in the federal agencies that were involved in this case.

“Human traffickers are in our neighborhoods and harming our communities by using what appear to be legitimate businesses as fronts for their operations.

“I hope this conviction sends a strong message that these criminal acts will not be tolerated in Cook County.”

All four victims testified as government witnesses at trial, as well as co-defendant, Danielle John, 25, who pleaded guilty before trial to two counts of harboring illegal aliens for financial gain and is also awaiting sentencing.

The testimony and evidence showed that Campbell recruited and groomed foreign women without legal status in the United States to become part of his “Family,” which he claimed was an international organization that would provide them with support.

He offered them jobs in his massage parlor, a place to live, assistance with immigration, and lured each of them to enter into a romantic relationship with him.

After gaining their trust, he forced the victims to get tattooed with his moniker, which he said made them his property and allowed him to stop paying them.

At the same time, he acquired the women’s passports and visas.

The women were forced to work long hours every day and do as Campbell instructed them, and they were beaten and punished if they disobeyed him.

Trial testimony established that Campbell confiscated passports and identity documents from three of the victims, as well as harbored and transported them to ensure their continued labor.

Campbell forced one victim to engage in commercial sex acts with customers at various other massage parlors, but not at the Day and Night Spa, which testimony showed he operated “cleanly” to avoid problems with law enforcement.

He extorted another victim to pay him more than $25,000 to leave the “Family” by threatening to send a sexually-explicit video recording to her parents in Belarus.

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation, which was coordinated by the Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force, together with the Salvation Army Family and Community Services STOP-IT Initiative Against Human Trafficking, operate a toll-free hotline, (877) 606-3158, which victims of trafficking or those with information about human trafficking can call for assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane MacArthur and Steven Grimes and Special Litigation Counsel John Richmond of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

The Leyden Township billboard tells "Johns" they could pay $2,150, if arrested for solicitation.

Going after the family vote, I suppose, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is conducting a highly publicized campaign against “Johns,” the customers of prostitutes.

It must be a bigger problem than in McHenry County.

The sign outside Suite 101 says, "The Healing Touch."

And, anyway the Illinois State Police raid on the massage parlor in the old Northwest Herald building next to Nick’s Pizza on Pyott Road was within the boundaries of Crystal Lake.

So, Sheriff Keith Nygren probably won’t follow Sheriff Dart’s billboard example.

But, State Police Colonel Rob Haley denied my Freedom of Information request for the police report on the arrest of Lan Rui He, age 31, who lived in an apartment on Darlington Lane, writing,

“The case is still being actively investigated and is an open investigation.  The requested information is withheld per the freedom act’s provisions regarding

• interference with pending or actually and reasonably contemplated law enforcement proceedings conducted by any law enforcement or correctional agency (5ILCS 140/7(1)(d)(i),
• obstruct an ongoing criminal investigation (5ILCS 140/7(1)(d)(vii),
• private information (5ILCS 140/7(1)(b), and
• create a substantial likelihood that a person will be deprived of a fair trail or an impartial hearing (5ILCS 140/7(1)(d)(iii).

He continues,

900 Pyott Road, Crystal Lake, where the prostitution arrest was made.

“Pursuant to ISP media guidelines, the following information is provided:

“The Illinois State Police North Central Narcotics Task Force arrested Lan Rue He, female, age 31, 5801 Darlington Lake,  Crystal Lake for Prostitution (11-14a Class A) on July 29, 2010 at 1:30 at 900 Pyott Road, Crystal Lake.  Bond is $1,000 ($100 cash – 10%).”