- Operation Silver Shovel
-
The official seal of the FBI.
Operation Silver Shovel was a major United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe into political corruption in Chicago during the 1990s. By the end of the probe illegal activities from labor union corruption to drug trafficking and organized crime activity were unearthed and corruption convictions were handed out to 18 individuals.[1]
Contents
Background
In the 1980s, the federal Operation Greylord investigation of the Cook County courts found almost 100 lawyers and judges who were eventually sent to jail, disbarred or suspended for illegal actions. However, when the individuals were heading off to jail, some lawyers and judges fixed cases. That produced Operation Gambat, which sent more crooks off to jail.[2]
The operation
John Christopher was an FBI mole, an insider to the Chicago construction business and now a convicted felon and lifelong mob associate.[3] The FBI relied on Christopher to get audio or visual recordings of illegal transactions including bribes, money laundering and cocaine purchases. By 1995, Christopher had made over 1100 recordings. The informant gave cash payments or other bribes to city officials in exchange for help in obtaining work. These officials include city alderman, city inspectors, project leaders, and others. [4] The bribes centered on city contracts for hauling construction debris; Christopher paid officials to allow him to dump debris in illegal areas. The bribes totaled $150,000 in the end, and the money laundering over $2.2 million.[5]
Those indicted
Aldermen:
- Ambrosio Medrano (Alderman 25th Ward)[6]
- Allan Streeter (Alderman 17th Ward)[7]
- Jesse Evans (alderman) (Alderman 21st Ward)[8]
- Lawrence Bloom (Alderman 5th Ward)[9]
- Virgil Jones(Alderman 15th Ward)
- Percy Giles (Alderman 37th Ward)
Other:
- 2 City inspectors
- 10 other[10]
References
- ^ http://chicago.fbi.gov/silvershovel/silvershovel.htm
- ^ http://www.theconspiracy.us/vol7/cn7-26.html
- ^ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4518934.html
- ^ http://chicago.fbi.gov/silvershovel/silvershovel.htm
- ^ http://www.theconspiracy.us/vol7/cn7-26.html
- ^ http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/21810063.html?dids=21810063:21810063&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jan+12%2C+1996&author=Edward+Walsh&pub=The+Washington+Post+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=A.02&desc=Probe+Unearths+Another+Load+Of+Graft+at+Chicago+City+Hall%3B+Alderman+Buried+in+FBI%27s+%60Operation+Silver+Shovel%27
- ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01E6D91E39F93AA25757C0A960958260
- ^ http://www.forensic-intelligence.org/corrupt/9607170261.html
- ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E02E2D71339F933A25754C0A961958260
- ^ http://chicago.fbi.gov/silvershovel/silvershovel.htm
External links
Categories:- FBI operations
- Political corruption investigations in the United States
- Political scandals in Illinois
- Politics of Illinois
- History of Chicago, Illinois
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