Category Archives: Chicago

Obama Chicago corruption ties don’t die, Iraqi billionaire Nahdmi Auchi tied to Obama and Rezko owns lot Chicago wants to develop, Mahajan FDIC lawsuit still alive, Obama Rezko lot transaction

Obama Chicago corruption ties don’t die, Iraqi billionaire Nahdmi Auchi tied to Obama and Rezko owns lot Chicago wants to develop, Mahajan FDIC lawsuit still alive, Obama Rezko lot transaction

“GE obtained a court judgment against Rezko in November 2004 for the $3.5 million it said was outstanding on its loans, but the company put collection efforts on hold during the first half of 2005 as it negotiated with Rezko, court records show.”…San Francisco Chronicle March 3, 2008

“Why did the Rezkos enter into an agreement to purchase the lot next to the Obama house and pay the asking price of $ 625,000 at a time when they were broke and heavily in debt?”…Citizen Wells

“Why did Mutual Bank fire whistleblower Kenneth J Connor after he
challenged the appraisal on the land purchased by Rita Rezko, just
prior to the land sale to Obama?”…Citizen Wells

 

 

Do not believe the lies that you have been told about the Obama Rezko lot transaction.

Tony Rezko and his wife, with the help of Iraqi billionaire Nahdmi Auchi, with the help of Mutual Bank president Amrish Mahajan, made the lot transaction work for the Obama’s.

From the Chicago Tribune July 10, 2013.

“City aims to jump-start Near South Side development
Land controlled by billionaire once linked to convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko”

“The city is trying to kick-start development of vacant 62-acre parcel near downtown controlled by a controversial Iraqi billionaire once linked to convicted Democratic influence peddler Antoin “Tony” Rezko.

A city development panel on Tuesday recommended giving Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration authority to buy the parcel just west of Dearborn Park on the Near South Side. If the City Council signs off, officials would have the authority to go to court to force a sale. That would take place if Luxembourg-based General Mediterranean Holding SA, which controls the Riverside District LLC that owns the site, was reluctant to sell to a developer, city officials said.

General Mediterranean is led by Nahdmi Auchi, an Iraqi billionaire living in London who was a onetime business partner of Rezko, city officials said. Auchi once made a $3.5 million payment to Rezko while Rezko awaited trial on the fraud charges that landed him in prison.

Auchi’s conglomerate in 2005 paid $130 million for the site, although Housing and Economic Development Assistant Commissioner Robert McKenna said an assessment needs to be done before the land’s current value can be determined. General Mediterranean acquired the site from Rezmar Corp., which was owned by Rezko and former partner Daniel Mahru.”

A tax increment financing district was formed in 1997 to help develop the site, but nothing was ever done with the property in part because of the controversy surrounding its owners.”

Read more:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-city-property-develop-0710-20130710,0,4340275.story

From Citizen Wells July 10, 2013.

“The FDIC lawsuit against Amrish Mahajan, former president of Mutual Bank, et al is scheduled for a motion hearing in the courtroom of Judge Virginia M. Kendall on July 10, 2013. Mutual Bank loaned Rita Rezko the money for the lot that was purchased by the Obama’s. It is also the bank that fired whistleblower Kenneth J. Conner after he questioned the appraisal of that lot.”

“The Obama camp, with the full cooperation of the mainstream media and US Justice Dept., has done their best to distance Obama from his numerous close corruption ties in Chicago and Illinois. The delayed and dragged out prosecution of Rod Blagojevich with his mutual ties to Tony Rezko, the failure to call Rezko as a witness and the dropping of counts against Blagojevich that are most damning for Obama, is one good example.”

“Not only was Mahajan a member of Rezko’s bundling network; his bank, the Mutual Bank of Harvey, granted Rita Rezko the $500,000 mortgage she neededin order to purchase the lot on which the Obama mansion in Chicago sits. As many of you may recall, the Obamas could not have purchased the mansion they could not afford unless transactions for the mansion and the lot closed on the same day. Obama needed to locate someone who would buy the lot, and he approached Rezko, the convicted slumlord with whom Obama toured the property before they mutually agreed to the following arrangement:”

“The Mutual Bank of Harvey, of course, for the Mutual Bank of Harvey’s President is a man who is deeply connected to the Chicago machine that backed Barack Obama. Indeed, Amrish Mahajan was one of Mayor Daley’s first political appointments in 1989, when he was named to a seat on Chicago’s Plan Commission, where he would be joined by Obama’s former boss and Rezko’s business partner Allison Davis and by Valerie Jarrett, Daley’s Chief of Staff whochaired the Commission from 1991-1995. Mahajan, in other words, worked with those who devised and profited from Daley’s failed public housing experiment in Chicago, a public housing policy Obama helped fund as state Senator and US Senator.”

Read more:

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/obama-rezko-lot-transaction-bank-president-mahajan-fdic-lawsuit-motion-hearing-july-10-2013-judge-virginia-m-kendall-rezkos-sold-lot-to-obamas-kenneth-j-conner-whistleblower/

 

Tony Rezko was deeply in Debt. His wife’s salary was $ 37,000.

Rezko received a loan of 3.5 million from Auchi on May 23, 2005.

From the UK Guardian via WikiLeaks December 18, 2008.

Norman Lamb said he was concerned about how the libel laws act as a constraint on investigative reporting and referred to the case of the British Iraqi billionaire Nadhmi Auchi.

He said: “He is a British citizen – an Iraqi exile – and he is reported to be a multibillionaire. He was convicted in France in 2003 of fraud in a trial involving the oil company Elf. Importantly, he continues to assert his innocence of the charges – there was a conviction, but he is pursuing routes of appeal against it. He was barred from entering the United States in 2005.

“My interest in the matter is in his connections to Tony Rezco, who was convicted of fraud, money laundering and bribe-related charges in Illinois, and who is currently in prison pending sentencing. We understand that sentencing has been delayed, and it has been suggested that he should talk to federal prosecutors, especially about allegations against Illinois governor [Rod] Blagojevich, which are being investigated.

“There is political interest in the US because of the connections between Rezko and President-elect Obama. I make no allegation at all relating to the latter.

“There have been reports that a company related to Mr Auchi registered a loan of $3.5m to Tony Rezko on 23 May 2005. That and other alleged connections are obviously of great interest to investigative journalists and others. More to the point, it is legitimate to investigate such a matter, given that Auchi is a prominent British citizen with political connections in this country and overseas. As I said, it is not appropriate to go into more detail, but it is alleged that Mr Auchi and his lawyers, Carter-Ruck, have been making strenuous efforts to close down public debate. Of course, it is absolutely legitimate for any citizen to demand accurate and rigorous investigation and reporting. The question is whether UK libel laws have the disproportionate effect of discouraging legitimate reporting. Many believe that they do.”

Read more:

http://wikileaks.org/wiki/MPs_demand_reform_of_libel_laws

 

Thanks to commenter Bessie

Obama Rezko lot transaction bank president Mahajan FDIC lawsuit, Motion hearing, July 10, 2013, Judge Virginia M. Kendall, Rezkos sold lot to Obamas, Kenneth J. Conner whistleblower

Obama Rezko lot transaction bank president Mahajan FDIC lawsuit, Motion hearing, July 10, 2013, Judge Virginia M. Kendall, Rezkos sold lot to Obamas, Kenneth J. Conner whistleblower

“Why wasn’t Rod Blagojevich, Governor of IL, prosecuted before Tony Rezko, a businessman?”…Citizen Wells

“Why was Tony Rezko’s sentencing delayed?”…Citizen Wells

“Why did Mutual Bank fire whistleblower Kenneth J Connor after he
challenged the appraisal on the land purchased by Rita Rezko, just
prior to the land sale to Obama?”…Citizen Wells

 

 

The FDIC lawsuit against Amrish Mahajan, former president of Mutual Bank, et al is scheduled for a motion hearing in the courtroom of Judge Virginia M. Kendall on July 10, 2013. Mutual Bank loaned Rita Rezko the money for the lot that was purchased by the Obama’s. It is also the bank that fired whistleblower Kenneth J. Conner after he questioned the appraisal of that lot.

Daily Calendar

Wednesday, July 10, 2013 (As of 07/08/13 at 06:48:24 AM )

Honorable Virginia M. Kendall               Courtroom 2319 (VMK)

1:11-cv-07590   Federal Deposit Insurance Corporatio   09:00   Notice of Motion

http://www.ilnd.uscourts.gov/home/DailyCal/0.htm

From Citizen Wells June 5, 2012.

The Obama camp, with the full cooperation of the mainstream media and US Justice Dept., has done their best to distance Obama from his numerous close corruption ties in Chicago and Illinois. The delayed and dragged out prosecution of Rod Blagojevich with his mutual ties to Tony Rezko, the failure to call Rezko as a witness and the dropping of counts against Blagojevich that are most damning for Obama, is one good example.

With the best attempts to divert attention away from Obama’s corrupt past, the Ghosts of Obama’s Christmas past continue to linger.

From an article written by truthteller and presented on NoQuarter USA on October 12, 2008.

“”Because I tend to rely on evidence and not on hearsay, I believe we should focus our attention on Amrish Mahajan and the Mutual Bank of Harvey, not on Giannoulias and the Broadway Bank, if we are to assign names to the financial institution about which Sneed of the Chicago Sun-Timeshas heard “rumblings.” Although Mahajan is not known to readers ofNo Quarter and to the national media, I imagine they will desire more information on the unscrupulous banker once they read the information I unpack below the fold. And yes, Obama is involved, deeply involved.”

My interest in Amrish Mahajan and the Mutual Bank of Harvey was picqued by this list of contributors in Rezko’s bundling network provided by the Chicago Sun-Times last March. View the second page of the document, and notice the following entry:

Last name First name Obama donations Rezko connection
Mahajan Amrish $2,500 Banker whose bank loaned money to Rezko companies. The bank also loaned Rezko’s wife money to buy a vacant lot next to Obama’s home.

The data available in the Sun-Times spreadsheet is corroborated by the following data, which is democratically available at the Federal Election Commission‘s website:

MAHAJAN, AMRISH
CHICAGO, IL 60607
MUTUAL BANK

OBAMA, BARACK
VIA OBAMA FOR ILLINOIS INC
12/20/2003 500.00 24020030170
04/14/2004 1000.00 24020461757

Not only was Mahajan a member of Rezko’s bundling network; his bank, the Mutual Bank of Harvey, granted Rita Rezko the $500,000 mortgage she neededin order to purchase the lot on which the Obama mansion in Chicago sits. As many of you may recall, the Obamas could not have purchased the mansion they could not afford unless transactions for the mansion and the lot closed on the same day. Obama needed to locate someone who would buy the lot, and he approached Rezko, the convicted slumlord with whom Obama toured the property before they mutually agreed to the following arrangement:

The home and lot sales closed on June 15, 2005. A land trust controlled by the Obamas bought the house for $1.65 million, and the Obamas secured a $1.32 million mortgage from Northern Trust to complete that purchase. That same day, Rezko’s wife, Rita Rezko, bought the side lot for $625,000. A $37,000- a-year Cook County employee, she secured a $500,000 mortgage from Mutual Bank of Harvey.

The structure of this transaction begs the following question: What bank would lend a government employee who earns $37,000 per annum a $500,000 mortgage? What bank would assume such a risk?

The Mutual Bank of Harvey, of course, for the Mutual Bank of Harvey’s President is a man who is deeply connected to the Chicago machine that backed Barack Obama. Indeed, Amrish Mahajan was one of Mayor Daley’s first political appointments in 1989, when he was named to a seat on Chicago’s Plan Commission, where he would be joined by Obama’s former boss and Rezko’s business partner Allison Davis and by Valerie Jarrett, Daley’s Chief of Staff whochaired the Commission from 1991-1995. Mahajan, in other words, worked with those who devised and profited from Daley’s failed public housing experiment in Chicago, a public housing policy Obama helped fund as state Senator and US Senator.

Rezko, according to the Boston Globe, was one of the major beneficiaries of Obama’s legislative advocacy for funding of Daley’s public housing experiment. Other major beneficiaries are Jarrett and Allison Davis. Mahajan was also a beneficiary, for his bank had made $3.4 million dollars in loans to Tony Rezko’s slum landlord business since 2002. A banker for one of the slumlords who benefitted from the Daley housing program Obama helped bankroll, Mahajan was returning a favor when he wrote a $500,000 mortgage in 2005 for the wife of one of his clients. Although Tony’s financial problems were mounting in 2005, and although Rita earned only $35,000 per annum, Mahajan underwrote the mortgage. Favors must be reciprocated, I guess, especially when one can satisfy two parties at once: the person with whom one has a complicated relationship in real estate and the politician who helped finance that complicated relationship as state Senator and US Senator.

I doubt federal investigators are interested in the Mahajans solely for their involvement in the property deal involving Obama, Mahajan and the Rezkos. The Mahajans, I believe, are the foci of their probe for many reasons.

The real estate transaction involving Rita Rezko, the Obamas and Mutual Bank of Harvey is just the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, the Mutual Bank of Harvey seems to be at the center of all the corruption in Chicago. To quote former Donald Perillo, Chicago insurance mogul and son of the lawyer for Al Capone, in the Chicago Tribune article I cite above:

Donald Parrillo said he isn’t surprised to see Mahajan mix it up with politics and business. “He got that attitude from the Parrillo family,” the former alderman said. “He wanted to get in the game.”

And Mahajan certainly is in the game. The banker of the Chicago machine, he is also the man who wrote the mortgage for Rita Rezko that facilitated Obama’s purchase the mansion he could not afford. This is why I believe prosecutors are interested in Harvey Mutual Bank. Not only did Rezko receive loans from this institution; this bank is heavily involved in problematic real estate dealings involving Blagojevich and Obama. And if I may quote Rezko in the 9 JUN letter he wrote to Judge Amy St. Eve:

Your Honor, the prosecutors have been overzealous in pursuing a crime that never happened. They are pressuring me to tell them the “wrong” things that I supposedly know aboutGovernor Blagojevich and Senator Obama. I have never been party to any wrongdoing that involved the Governor or the Senator. I will never fabricate lies about anyone else for selfish purposes. I will take what comes my way, but I will never hurt innocent people. I am not Levine, Loren, Mahru , or Winter.”

Rezko is now talking, and prosecutors are presently interested in a politically connected financial institution. I bet Obama now regrets paying Rita Rezko $104,500 for the strip of the land in the lot on which his house sits in January 2006. Acquired with the assistance of a questionable $500,000 mortgage from Amrish Mahajan’s Mutual Bank of Harvey, this lot and Obama’s desire to expand his yard by bit was the catalyst for all the investigative reports into Obama’s deep ties to Rezko. By the way, Rita’s lot is only accessible through the front gate of Obama’s home; it is not a separate property, and it was never intended to be a separate property.

“It was a mistake to have been engaged with him at all in this or any other personal business dealing that would allow him, or anyone else, to believe that he had done me a favor,” Obama says of the real estate transactions with Rezko. I wonder if now he also believes it was a mistake for him to serve as the legislator who represented and bankrolled Richard Daley, Amrish Mahajan, Valerie Jarrett, Allison Davis and the Chicago Plan Commission. But at least he and Michelle have a house, a house the Mutual Bank of Harvey, the politically connected bank that wrote loans for Rezko, helped them procure in 2005. Too bad that house will be the end of Barack Obama.

obama-home.jpg

http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/5382/about-the-financial-institution-mentioned-in-the-sun-times-obama-tony-rezko-amrish-mahajan-the-kenwood-mansion-rita-rezko/

From Citizen Wells November 1, 2011.

“Here is what we know about the purchase of a lot by Barack and Michelle Obama from Rita Rezko in 2006:

1. “In June, 2005, Mutual Bank President and CEO Amrish Mahajan and
other Mutual Bank officers approved a loan to Rita Malki Rezko (Rita
Rezko) which was guaranteed by Antonin Rezko so that Rita Rezko could
purchase a 9,090 square foot vacant parcel of real estate at 5050 S.
Greenwood Avenue, Chicago.” (Conner lawsuit)

2. “On or about January 4, 2006, Rita Rezko entered into an
agreement with Senator Barack and Michelle Obama (Obamas) to sell a
ten-foot strip of the 5050 S. Greenwood property to the Obamas.”
(Conner lawsuit)

3. “In late 2005 or early 2006, Conner performed an appraisal review
of the Adams Appraisal (Exhibit C) per the directive of Richard Barth
and James Murphy. Conner prepared a written Appraisal Review report
(ARR) opining that the Adams Appraisal overvalued the Greenwood lot by
a minimum of $ 125,000.00 and that a reasonable and fair valuation for
Mutual Banks’s underwriting purposes should be no greater than $
500,000.00 for the entire 5050 S. Greenwood parcel as originally
purchased by Rita Rezko.” (Conner lawsuit)

4. “On or about October 19, 2006, Mutual Bank received a Grand Jury
Subpoena (GJS) requiring Mutual Bank to produce the Rezko 5050
Greenwood loan file, as well as a Rita Rezko Riverside District
Development LLC checking account and loan file.” (Conner lawsuit)

5. “In October, 2007, Conner had various communications with Mutual
Bank’s Human Resources Department representative, Lana Schlabach. In
an email communication of October 15, 2007, Conner directly referenced
“Resentment over my mentioned discovery of the removal/replacement of
an appraisal review that I conducted. That appraisal review contained
substantial observations and suggestions. The transaction and parties
involved were high profile in the media.I am under the impression that
the FBI has since looked at the file.”” On October 23, 2007, eight days after Conner’s October 15, 2007 email to Schlabach attached as Exhibit J, Mutual Bank terminated Conner’s employment for pretextual reasons.” (Conner lawsuit)

6. “On October 23, 2007, eight days after Conner’s October 15, 2007
email to Schlabach attached as Exhibit J, Mutual Bank terminated
Conner’s employment for pretextual reasons.” (Conner lawsuit)

7. The FDIC has filed a lawsuit against Mutual Bank, Amrish Mahajan, Richard Barth, et al.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/fdic-mutual-bank-lawsuit-reveals-rezko-obama-corruption-kenneth-j-conner-lawsuit-amrish-mahajan-richard-barth-where-did-rezkos-get-the-money/

From ABC News Chicago August 22, 2011.

“Anita Mahajan, a Chicago businesswoman with ties to former governor Rod Blagojevich, pleaded guilty to bilking the state of Illinois by submitting bogus bills.

“I’m sorry,” Mahajan said in court Monday while pleading guilty to felony theft for pilfering about $100,000 in taxpayer money through her drug-testing company, K.K. Bio-Science. That company is now defunct.

The 60-year-old received four years of probation, agreed to pay $200,000 in fines and perform 1,500 hours of community service.

Mahajan’s husband, Amrish, was a banker and significant fundraiser for Blagojevich. Also, Blagojevich’s wife, Patti, made more than $100,000 in commissions handling real estate deals for the Mahajans in 2006, which caused a stir in the Blagojevich re-election campaign. The following year, Mahajan was charged with cheating the state of out of $2 million for drug tests that were never performed.

“People of this state were being cheated,” Dick Devine said in 2007 when he was the state’s attorney while announcing a seven-count indictment against Mahajan. The attorney general sued to recover the state’s lost money.

Four years later, Mahajan pleaded guilty to a single, reduced charge of theft instead of the felonies that would have sent her to prison for at least six years.

“Anita Mahajan is another example of the collateral damage that’s been left in the wake of the Rod Blagojevich Tsunami,” Steve Miller, Mahajan’s attorney, said.””

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8320596&rss=rss-wls-article-8320596

From the FDIC lawsuit against Amrish Mahajan, et al.

“6. The Director Defendants also wasted corporate assets and drained the Bank’s capital by…(c) authorizing $ 495,000 in “bonuses” to pay for the criminal defense costs for the Defendant Amrish Mahajan’s wife who was indicted for Medicaid fraud”

“32. The Director and Officer Defendants failed to establish procedures that would have lessened the risks of the Bank’s improvidant lending practices. The terms of transactions were not accurately documented. Status reports were missing so that records of how an asset was progressing were not available. Terms of loans were changed at closing without board or loan committee approvals or any rcord in the file. Loan guarantees were frequently missing from the files. Appraisers were retained by brokers with an interest in seeing transactions consummated, not by the bank. Appraisals were often received after the loan was funded. Loans were typically non-recourse and dependent on guarantor abilities to repay in the event that the collateral was insufficient. Yet, little or no attention was paid to whether guarantors had sufficient liquidity to protect the Bank’s interest; the officers and the Board did little or no analysis of guarantor or borrower financial strength.”

http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/10/26/FDIC.pdf

From the Washington Times November 4, 2008.

“A former Illinois real estate specialist says FBI agents have questioned him about a Chicago property that had been bought by convicted felon Tony Rezko’s wife and later sold to the couple’s next-door neighbor, Sen. Barack Obama.

The real estate specialist, Kenneth J. Conner, said bank officials replaced an appraisal review he prepared on the property and FBI agents were investigating in late 2007 whether the Rezko-Obama deal was proper.

“Agents and I talked about payoff, bribe, kickback for a long time, though it took them only a short number of minutes of talking with me while looking at the appraisal to acknowledge what they already seemed to know: The Rezko lot was grossly overvalued,” Mr. Conner told The Washington Times Monday.

“Rezko paid the asking price on the same day Obama paid $300,000 less than the asking price to the same seller for his adjacent mansion,” he said. “This begs the question of payoff, bribe, kickback.””

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/04/fbi-asked-questions-on-rezko-land-deal/

Obama’s Rezko problem is not going away.

 

 

 

Blagojevich prosecutor Reid Schar leads CHA team investigating bid rigging, Demolish Chicago’s high rise low income housing projects, Minority bidder loses contract employees fired

Blagojevich prosecutor Reid Schar leads CHA team investigating bid rigging, Demolish Chicago’s high rise low income housing projects, Minority bidder loses contract employees fired

 
“The squat brick buildings of Grove Parc Plaza, in a dense neighborhood that Barack Obama represented for eight years as a state senator, hold 504 apartments subsidized by the federal government for people who can’t afford to live anywhere else.

But it’s not safe to live here.

About 99 of the units are vacant, many rendered uninhabitable by unfixed problems, such as collapsed roofs and fire damage. Mice scamper through the halls. Battered mailboxes hang open. Sewage backs up into kitchen sinks. In 2006, federal inspectors graded the condition of the complex an 11 on a 100-point scale – a score so bad the buildings now face demolition.”

“As a state senator, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee coauthored an Illinois law creating a new pool of tax credits for developers. As a US senator, he pressed for increased federal subsidies. And as a presidential candidate, he has campaigned on a promise to create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund that could give developers an estimated $500 million a year.

But a Globe review found that thousands of apartments across Chicago that had been built with local, state, and federal subsidies – including several hundred in Obama’s former district – deteriorated so completely that they were no longer habitable.”

“Among those tied to Obama politically, personally, or professionally are:

Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to Obama’s presidential campaign and a member of his finance committee. Jarrett is the chief executive of Habitat Co., which managed Grove Parc Plaza from 2001 until this winter and co-managed an even larger subsidized complex in Chicago that was seized by the federal government in 2006, after city inspectors found widespread problems.”

“Antoin “Tony” Rezko, perhaps the most important fund-raiser for Obama’s early political campaigns and a friend who helped the Obamas buy a home in 2005. Rezko’s company used subsidies to rehabilitate more than 1,000 apartments, mostly in and around Obama’s district, then refused to manage the units, leaving the buildings to decay to the point where many no longer were habitable.

Campaign finance records show that six prominent developers – including Jarrett, Davis, and Rezko – collectively contributed more than $175,000 to Obama’s campaigns over the last decade and raised hundreds of thousands more from other donors. Rezko alone raised at least $200,000, by Obama’s own accounting.”…Boston Globe June 27, 2008

From the Chicago SunTimes July 8, 2013.
“CHA brings in Blagojevich prosecutor for probe of $3.9 million deal”
“The former federal prosecutor who sent Gov. Rod Blagojevich to prison is leading a Chicago Housing Authority investigation to determine whether the competitive bidding process for a $3.9 million contract to oversee the construction and rehabilitation of hundreds of taxpayer-subsidized CHA apartments was rigged, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Reid Schar heads a team of 11 attorneys from the law firm Jenner & Block who have been examining contract bids the CHA received earlier this year from a group of companies led by McKissack & McKissack that oversaw the work for the past 10 years, and three other bidders, the sources say.

Soon after Schar, who was the lead prosecutor in the Blagojevich corruption case, began investigating, the CHA fired two longtime employees of the public housing agency who had overseen the McKissack contract for several years, working with McKissack employees out of the CHA’s Loop offices.

McKissack — a minority-owned company from Washington, D.C., that also has offices in Chicago — ended up offering the lowest price in its effort to hold onto the CHA contract, the sources say.

But the housing authority instead gave the job to Gilbane Inc., awarding it a $3.9 million contract at a special board meeting June 28. Gilbane is set to begin work Monday.”
“McKissack was founded in 1990 by Deryl McKissack, an African-American woman whose family has been in the architectural and engineering business for more than 100 years. It has overseen projects across the United States, including expansions of McCormick Place and O’Hare Airport and construction of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. McKissack began overseeing the CHA work in 2003. Three years later, she formed a joint venture with two other businesses — the Rise Group and URS Corp. Operating under the name the Partnership for Transformation, the McKissack group won a $16.4 million CHA contract under which it continued to oversee the work. In 2010, the joint venture won a new $9 million contract, extending the deal. That contract expired June 30.

The McKissack group wasn’t initially the low bidder with its proposal to continue overseeing the work beyond that date, according to sources.

They say CHA officials — including the two employees who later were fired — began interviewing representatives from McKissack and the three other bidders. The CHA officials asked the bidders to submit their “best-and-final” offers — a process the CHA repeated twice, ending with McKissack having the lowest bid, according to several sources.”

Read more:

http://www.suntimes.com/20961576-761/cha-brings-in-blagojevich-prosecutor-for-probe-of-39-million-deal.html

Obama Rezko lot transaction bank president Mahajan FDIC lawsuit, Motion hearing, June 12, 2013, Judge Virginia M. Kendall, Rezkos sold lot to Obamas, Ghosts of Obama’s past

Obama Rezko lot transaction bank president Mahajan FDIC lawsuit, Motion hearing, June 12, 2013, Judge Virginia M. Kendall, Rezkos sold lot to Obamas, Ghosts of Obama’s past

“Why wasn’t Rod Blagojevich, Governor of IL, prosecuted before Tony Rezko, a businessman?”…Citizen Wells

“Why was Tony Rezko’s sentencing delayed?”…Citizen Wells

“Why did Mutual Bank fire whistleblower Kenneth J Connor after he
challenged the appraisal on the land purchased by Rita Rezko, just
prior to the land sale to Obama?”…Citizen Wells

Lest we forget.

The FDIC lawsuit against Amrish Mahajan, former president of Mutual Bank, et al is scheduled for a motion hearing in the courtroom of Judge Virginia M. Kendall on June 12, 2013. Mutual Bank loaned Rita Rezko the money for the lot that was purchased by the Obama’s. It is also the bank that fired whistleblower Kenneth J. Conner after he questioned the appraisal of that lot.

Daily Calendar

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 (As of 06/12/13 at 05:47:26 AM)

Honorable Virginia M. Kendall               Courtroom 2319 (VMK)

1:11-cv-07590   Federal Deposit Insurance Corporatio   09:00   Notice of Motion

http://www.ilnd.uscourts.gov/home/DailyCal/0.htm

FDICvsMahajan130612

From Citizen Wells June 5, 2012.

The Obama camp, with the full cooperation of the mainstream media and US Justice Dept., has done their best to distance Obama from his numerous close corruption ties in Chicago and Illinois. The delayed and dragged out prosecution of Rod Blagojevich with his mutual ties to Tony Rezko, the failure to call Rezko as a witness and the dropping of counts against Blagojevich that are most damning for Obama, is one good example.

With the best attempts to divert attention away from Obama’s corrupt past, the Ghosts of Obama’s Christmas past continue to linger.

From an article written by truthteller and presented on NoQuarter USA on October 12, 2008.

“”Because I tend to rely on evidence and not on hearsay, I believe we should focus our attention on Amrish Mahajan and the Mutual Bank of Harvey, not on Giannoulias and the Broadway Bank, if we are to assign names to the financial institution about which Sneed of the Chicago Sun-Timeshas heard “rumblings.” Although Mahajan is not known to readers ofNo Quarter and to the national media, I imagine they will desire more information on the unscrupulous banker once they read the information I unpack below the fold. And yes, Obama is involved, deeply involved.”

My interest in Amrish Mahajan and the Mutual Bank of Harvey was picqued by this list of contributors in Rezko’s bundling network provided by the Chicago Sun-Times last March. View the second page of the document, and notice the following entry:

Last name First name Obama donations Rezko connection
Mahajan Amrish $2,500 Banker whose bank loaned money to Rezko companies. The bank also loaned Rezko’s wife money to buy a vacant lot next to Obama’s home.

The data available in the Sun-Times spreadsheet is corroborated by the following data, which is democratically available at the Federal Election Commission‘s website:

MAHAJAN, AMRISH
CHICAGO, IL 60607
MUTUAL BANK

OBAMA, BARACK
VIA OBAMA FOR ILLINOIS INC
12/20/2003 500.00 24020030170
04/14/2004 1000.00 24020461757

Not only was Mahajan a member of Rezko’s bundling network; his bank, the Mutual Bank of Harvey, granted Rita Rezko the $500,000 mortgage she neededin order to purchase the lot on which the Obama mansion in Chicago sits. As many of you may recall, the Obamas could not have purchased the mansion they could not afford unless transactions for the mansion and the lot closed on the same day. Obama needed to locate someone who would buy the lot, and he approached Rezko, the convicted slumlord with whom Obama toured the property before they mutually agreed to the following arrangement:

The home and lot sales closed on June 15, 2005. A land trust controlled by the Obamas bought the house for $1.65 million, and the Obamas secured a $1.32 million mortgage from Northern Trust to complete that purchase. That same day, Rezko’s wife, Rita Rezko, bought the side lot for $625,000. A $37,000- a-year Cook County employee, she secured a $500,000 mortgage from Mutual Bank of Harvey.

The structure of this transaction begs the following question: What bank would lend a government employee who earns $37,000 per annum a $500,000 mortgage? What bank would assume such a risk?

The Mutual Bank of Harvey, of course, for the Mutual Bank of Harvey’s President is a man who is deeply connected to the Chicago machine that backed Barack Obama. Indeed, Amrish Mahajan was one of Mayor Daley’s first political appointments in 1989, when he was named to a seat on Chicago’s Plan Commission, where he would be joined by Obama’s former boss and Rezko’s business partner Allison Davis and by Valerie Jarrett, Daley’s Chief of Staff whochaired the Commission from 1991-1995. Mahajan, in other words, worked with those who devised and profited from Daley’s failed public housing experiment in Chicago, a public housing policy Obama helped fund as state Senator and US Senator.

Rezko, according to the Boston Globe, was one of the major beneficiaries of Obama’s legislative advocacy for funding of Daley’s public housing experiment. Other major beneficiaries are Jarrett and Allison Davis. Mahajan was also a beneficiary, for his bank had made $3.4 million dollars in loans to Tony Rezko’s slum landlord business since 2002. A banker for one of the slumlords who benefitted from the Daley housing program Obama helped bankroll, Mahajan was returning a favor when he wrote a $500,000 mortgage in 2005 for the wife of one of his clients. Although Tony’s financial problems were mounting in 2005, and although Rita earned only $35,000 per annum, Mahajan underwrote the mortgage. Favors must be reciprocated, I guess, especially when one can satisfy two parties at once: the person with whom one has a complicated relationship in real estate and the politician who helped finance that complicated relationship as state Senator and US Senator.

I doubt federal investigators are interested in the Mahajans solely for their involvement in the property deal involving Obama, Mahajan and the Rezkos. The Mahajans, I believe, are the foci of their probe for many reasons.

The real estate transaction involving Rita Rezko, the Obamas and Mutual Bank of Harvey is just the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, the Mutual Bank of Harvey seems to be at the center of all the corruption in Chicago. To quote former Donald Perillo, Chicago insurance mogul and son of the lawyer for Al Capone, in the Chicago Tribune article I cite above:

Donald Parrillo said he isn’t surprised to see Mahajan mix it up with politics and business. “He got that attitude from the Parrillo family,” the former alderman said. “He wanted to get in the game.”

And Mahajan certainly is in the game. The banker of the Chicago machine, he is also the man who wrote the mortgage for Rita Rezko that facilitated Obama’s purchase the mansion he could not afford. This is why I believe prosecutors are interested in Harvey Mutual Bank. Not only did Rezko receive loans from this institution; this bank is heavily involved in problematic real estate dealings involving Blagojevich and Obama. And if I may quote Rezko in the 9 JUN letter he wrote to Judge Amy St. Eve:

Your Honor, the prosecutors have been overzealous in pursuing a crime that never happened. They are pressuring me to tell them the “wrong” things that I supposedly know aboutGovernor Blagojevich and Senator Obama. I have never been party to any wrongdoing that involved the Governor or the Senator. I will never fabricate lies about anyone else for selfish purposes. I will take what comes my way, but I will never hurt innocent people. I am not Levine, Loren, Mahru , or Winter.”

Rezko is now talking, and prosecutors are presently interested in a politically connected financial institution. I bet Obama now regrets paying Rita Rezko $104,500 for the strip of the land in the lot on which his house sits in January 2006. Acquired with the assistance of a questionable $500,000 mortgage from Amrish Mahajan’s Mutual Bank of Harvey, this lot and Obama’s desire to expand his yard by bit was the catalyst for all the investigative reports into Obama’s deep ties to Rezko. By the way, Rita’s lot is only accessible through the front gate of Obama’s home; it is not a separate property, and it was never intended to be a separate property.

“It was a mistake to have been engaged with him at all in this or any other personal business dealing that would allow him, or anyone else, to believe that he had done me a favor,” Obama says of the real estate transactions with Rezko. I wonder if now he also believes it was a mistake for him to serve as the legislator who represented and bankrolled Richard Daley, Amrish Mahajan, Valerie Jarrett, Allison Davis and the Chicago Plan Commission. But at least he and Michelle have a house, a house the Mutual Bank of Harvey, the politically connected bank that wrote loans for Rezko, helped them procure in 2005. Too bad that house will be the end of Barack Obama.

obama-home.jpg

http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/5382/about-the-financial-institution-mentioned-in-the-sun-times-obama-tony-rezko-amrish-mahajan-the-kenwood-mansion-rita-rezko/

From Citizen Wells November 1, 2011.

“Here is what we know about the purchase of a lot by Barack and Michelle Obama from Rita Rezko in 2006:

1. “In June, 2005, Mutual Bank President and CEO Amrish Mahajan and
other Mutual Bank officers approved a loan to Rita Malki Rezko (Rita
Rezko) which was guaranteed by Antonin Rezko so that Rita Rezko could
purchase a 9,090 square foot vacant parcel of real estate at 5050 S.
Greenwood Avenue, Chicago.” (Conner lawsuit)

2. “On or about January 4, 2006, Rita Rezko entered into an
agreement with Senator Barack and Michelle Obama (Obamas) to sell a
ten-foot strip of the 5050 S. Greenwood property to the Obamas.”
(Conner lawsuit)

3. “In late 2005 or early 2006, Conner performed an appraisal review
of the Adams Appraisal (Exhibit C) per the directive of Richard Barth
and James Murphy. Conner prepared a written Appraisal Review report
(ARR) opining that the Adams Appraisal overvalued the Greenwood lot by
a minimum of $ 125,000.00 and that a reasonable and fair valuation for
Mutual Banks’s underwriting purposes should be no greater than $
500,000.00 for the entire 5050 S. Greenwood parcel as originally
purchased by Rita Rezko.” (Conner lawsuit)

4. “On or about October 19, 2006, Mutual Bank received a Grand Jury
Subpoena (GJS) requiring Mutual Bank to produce the Rezko 5050
Greenwood loan file, as well as a Rita Rezko Riverside District
Development LLC checking account and loan file.” (Conner lawsuit)

5. “In October, 2007, Conner had various communications with Mutual
Bank’s Human Resources Department representative, Lana Schlabach. In
an email communication of October 15, 2007, Conner directly referenced
“Resentment over my mentioned discovery of the removal/replacement of
an appraisal review that I conducted. That appraisal review contained
substantial observations and suggestions. The transaction and parties
involved were high profile in the media.I am under the impression that
the FBI has since looked at the file.”” On October 23, 2007, eight days after Conner’s October 15, 2007 email to Schlabach attached as Exhibit J, Mutual Bank terminated Conner’s employment for pretextual reasons.” (Conner lawsuit)

6. “On October 23, 2007, eight days after Conner’s October 15, 2007
email to Schlabach attached as Exhibit J, Mutual Bank terminated
Conner’s employment for pretextual reasons.” (Conner lawsuit)

7. The FDIC has filed a lawsuit against Mutual Bank, Amrish Mahajan, Richard Barth, et al.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/fdic-mutual-bank-lawsuit-reveals-rezko-obama-corruption-kenneth-j-conner-lawsuit-amrish-mahajan-richard-barth-where-did-rezkos-get-the-money/

From ABC News Chicago August 22, 2011.

“Anita Mahajan, a Chicago businesswoman with ties to former governor Rod Blagojevich, pleaded guilty to bilking the state of Illinois by submitting bogus bills.

“I’m sorry,” Mahajan said in court Monday while pleading guilty to felony theft for pilfering about $100,000 in taxpayer money through her drug-testing company, K.K. Bio-Science. That company is now defunct.

The 60-year-old received four years of probation, agreed to pay $200,000 in fines and perform 1,500 hours of community service.

Mahajan’s husband, Amrish, was a banker and significant fundraiser for Blagojevich. Also, Blagojevich’s wife, Patti, made more than $100,000 in commissions handling real estate deals for the Mahajans in 2006, which caused a stir in the Blagojevich re-election campaign. The following year, Mahajan was charged with cheating the state of out of $2 million for drug tests that were never performed.

“People of this state were being cheated,” Dick Devine said in 2007 when he was the state’s attorney while announcing a seven-count indictment against Mahajan. The attorney general sued to recover the state’s lost money.

Four years later, Mahajan pleaded guilty to a single, reduced charge of theft instead of the felonies that would have sent her to prison for at least six years.

“Anita Mahajan is another example of the collateral damage that’s been left in the wake of the Rod Blagojevich Tsunami,” Steve Miller, Mahajan’s attorney, said.””

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8320596&rss=rss-wls-article-8320596

From the FDIC lawsuit against Amrish Mahajan, et al.

“6. The Director Defendants also wasted corporate assets and drained the Bank’s capital by…(c) authorizing $ 495,000 in “bonuses” to pay for the criminal defense costs for the Defendant Amrish Mahajan’s wife who was indicted for Medicaid fraud”

“32. The Director and Officer Defendants failed to establish procedures that would have lessened the risks of the Bank’s improvidant lending practices. The terms of transactions were not accurately documented. Status reports were missing so that records of how an asset was progressing were not available. Terms of loans were changed at closing without board or loan committee approvals or any rcord in the file. Loan guarantees were frequently missing from the files. Appraisers were retained by brokers with an interest in seeing transactions consummated, not by the bank. Appraisals were often received after the loan was funded. Loans were typically non-recourse and dependent on guarantor abilities to repay in the event that the collateral was insufficient. Yet, little or no attention was paid to whether guarantors had sufficient liquidity to protect the Bank’s interest; the officers and the Board did little or no analysis of guarantor or borrower financial strength.”

http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/10/26/FDIC.pdf

From the Washington Times November 4, 2008.

“A former Illinois real estate specialist says FBI agents have questioned him about a Chicago property that had been bought by convicted felon Tony Rezko’s wife and later sold to the couple’s next-door neighbor, Sen. Barack Obama.

The real estate specialist, Kenneth J. Conner, said bank officials replaced an appraisal review he prepared on the property and FBI agents were investigating in late 2007 whether the Rezko-Obama deal was proper.

“Agents and I talked about payoff, bribe, kickback for a long time, though it took them only a short number of minutes of talking with me while looking at the appraisal to acknowledge what they already seemed to know: The Rezko lot was grossly overvalued,” Mr. Conner told The Washington Times Monday.

“Rezko paid the asking price on the same day Obama paid $300,000 less than the asking price to the same seller for his adjacent mansion,” he said. “This begs the question of payoff, bribe, kickback.””

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/04/fbi-asked-questions-on-rezko-land-deal/

Obama’s Rezko problem is not going away.

							

Blagojevich blackmailing Obama Justice Dept.?, Illinois pay to play emails, ABC Brian Ross 2010 Blagojevich interview, Arpaio investigation supreme court cases and Obama gates cause rats to jump ship?

Blagojevich blackmailing Obama Justice Dept.?, Illinois pay to play emails, ABC Brian Ross 2010 Blagojevich interview, Arpaio investigation supreme court cases and Obama gates cause rats to jump ship?

“Why wasn’t Rod Blagojevich, Governor of IL, prosecuted before Tony Rezko, a businessman?”…Citizen Wells

“Why did Patrick Fitzgerald and the US Justice Department wait until December 2008 to arrest Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells

“Regardless of how this plays out, it benefits Obama. If there is no appeal or the appeal is denied, Blagojevich will be sequestered. If the appeal proceeds, it could drag out beyond impacting the 2012 election cycle. The intent is obvious.”…Citizen Wells, July 19, 2011

 

The delays in the prosecution and ultimately the appeal of Rod Blagojevich have led many, including myself, to suspect that some deal was struck with Obama and or the Justice Department that he controls.

From Citizen Wells May 21, 2013.

“We seem to be approaching a “perfect storm” of Obama controversies, any of which would have capsized a Republican president.

Obama’s pals in the mainstream media continue to minimize, mis report, under report and rectify news in an effort to protect Obama and themselves.

However, the brewing storm may be insurmountable for even the best Orwellian efforts of the Obama administration and the press.

Citizen Wells reported in 2008 that Obama had to win the election to keep from being prosecuted for Chicago corruption ties and involvement and for fraud in his eligibility and records. The same is true for 2012 and now Obama knows that he needs to maintain some control of congress with the 2014 elections.

That is, if he is still around then.

The spectre of Obama’s arrest, impeachment or resignation is more with us than ever.

Consider the following:

Project Gunrunner, aka Fast and Furious, has not been fully investigated.

Benghazi Gate.

IRS Gate.

USDOJ Gate.

The Sheriff Joe Arpaio investigation into the Obama birth certificate and other records is proceeding.

There are at least 2 eligibility cases active in state supreme courts.

Judge Roy Moore is the Supreme Court chief justice in Alabama. He has already questioned Obama’s eligibility and Mike Zullo of the Arpaio investigation has provided a lengthy affidavit.

Appellant H. Brooke Paige is awaiting decisions from the Vermont Supreme Court on several issues. He has challenged Obama’s natural born citizen status due to the father being Kenyan/British.

The Blagojevich appeal is still in the works. Many believe he expects a pardon or other assistance from Obama.

The FDIC lawsuit against Mutual Bank et al is still alive. This is the bank that loaned Rita Rezko the money for the lot adjacent to the Obama’s that was subsequently sold to them.

One has to wonder that if Obama appears to be in jeopardy if Blagojevich or even Rezko will talk.

Don’t believe Obama can be touched?

From WND May 19, 2013.

“HALF OF AMERICA WANTS OBAMA IMPEACHED”

“The faux stone columns from his Denver acceptance speech are crumbling, the fireworks have fizzled and the unadulterated adulation of Barack Obama is a sour feeling of disillusion, as a new poll reveals half of America wants him impeached, including a stunning one in four Democrats.

“It may be early in the process for members of Congress to start planning for impeachment of Barack Obama, but the American public is building a serious appetite for it,” said Fritz Wenzel, of Wenzel Strategies, which did the telephone poll Thursday. It has a margin of error of 4.36 percent.

“Half or nearly half of those surveyed said they believed Obama should be impeached for the trifecta of scandals now consuming Washington.””

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/obama-arrest-impeachment-resignation-imminent-benghazi-gate-irs-gate-usdoj-gate-al-vt-supreme-court-eligibility-cases-arpaio-investigation-blagojevich-appeal-fdic-mutual-bank-lawsuit/

From Illinois Pay to Play May 29, 2013.

“Hey, Chicago Tribune: Why are you helping Rod Blagojevich blackmail the Feds?”

“A proven reliable source reports that Rod Blagojevich is attempting to blackmail his way out of prison.

And, there are indications that the feds are in the process of capitulating to Blago’s demands, aided by the collaborative assistance of the ChicagoTribune, in what amounts to a cover-up of a crime.

(Read this email thread from bottom to top)

Top

—–Original Message—–

From: <redacted>

To: Len Goodman

Sent: 2013-05-24 17:24:37 +0000

Subject: Is it a real appeal?

Mr. Len Goodman

It has come to my attention, that there is a strong possibility your client Rod Blagojevich is blackmailing former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and the federal government.

Are you familiar with the interview Rod Blagojevich did with Brian Ross?”

“From:<redacted>

To: “Randall Samborn” <Randall.Samborn@usdoj.gov>

Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2011 1:00:28 PM

Subject: Fwd: Brian Ross 8-26-2010 Blago threatens

Randall Samborn

Looks like Rod Blagojevich’s decision to go the route of extortion might be working for him? . In plain site on ABC.

Do you think if he does not get the deal he wants Rod Blagojevich will tell the public the information Patrick Fitzgerald supposedly wanted the morning he arrested Blago.

More important does Patrick Fitzgerald want information about corruption at the level that Blago speaks of in this interview.

Blago say’s some very telling things in this interview with Brian Ross that will help expose the truth. Simple questions, who told John Chase that the feds had a wire on Blagojevich and that John Wyma was cooperating with U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.

Who,what,why,when and where was the decision made to warn Blago ?

Why is no one asking ? That last question was rhetorical, I know why no one is asking.

Randall, lets not forget our discussions about these matters. Maybe this is one of those times that calls for a Special Counsel to be appointed.

Trial or not, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered starting with the ones John Chase has never answered.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx”

Read more:

http://illinoispaytoplay.com/2013/05/29/hey-chicago-tribune-why-are-you-helping-rod-blagojevich-blackmail-the-feds/

ABC Brian Ross Blagojevich 2010 interview.

“Former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich recognizes that daunting challenges await as prosecutors prepare to mount a new effort to convict him on corruption charges, but he told ABC News Friday he sees a triumphant political comeback in his future that will be no less dramatic than the one pulled off by Winston Churchill.

“I’m not ruling out doing something I’ve spent my whole adult life doing,” Blagojevich said when asked about a possible return to politics. “I believe some of the greatest stories in history are some of the great comebacks. You think about Winston Churchill, I mean he spent years in the political wilderness … . If Churchill can comeback from something like that, when I’m vindicated, I certainly don’t write myself off.”

Blagojevich sat down with ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross Friday as he embarked on a media tour aimed at recovering his reputation in the aftermath of a (mostly) favorable courtroom verdict – a jury this week found him guilty on only one of 24 counts, lying to federal agents. The panel could not find agreement any of the corruption charges, including most sensational government claim, that he attempted to cash-in the senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama for a new job or for campaign contributions.

The now famous Chicago pol-turned-reality TV star — known better as “Blago” — spent the 80-minute interview casting himself in the role of the persecuted David. Goliath, in this telling, was a team of federal prosecutors that remains hell-bent on collecting the scalp that sits under his generous mop of thick brown hair.

“This is a person determined to get his trophy,” he said of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.

Blagojevich told ABC News that shortly after his 2008 arrest, investigators tried to convince him to offer damaging information on “folks in higher places” in exchange for lenience. Blagojevich said that Obama, even more than himself, had a longstanding, close association with Antoin “Tony” Rezko, the Chicago real estate developer who had become the subject of his own federal probe – one that ultimately led to Rezko’s conviction on fraud and bribery charges. The former governor said his very first meeting with Obama, then about to join the Illinois senate, came by way of Rezko’s personal introduction.

Blagojevich said that in late 2008, having just arrived in his jail cell, investigators approached him for information.

“When they had me in custody they were very clear about they wanted me to cooperate and talk about people in higher places ,and with all due respect to Mayor Daley, there’s no one higher than Governor,” he said.

“You’re talking about then president-elect Obama?” Ross asked.

“I’m not saying that right now.” Asked who else he could mean, Blagojevich shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Is it your impression they were thinking about Obama?” Ross pressed.

“I have my own personal opinion but from where I’m sitting right now it’s probably better for me not to talk about it.” He then grinned, “If I’m guilty of anything it’s that I talk too much.”

The case laid out against the former Illinois governor was built over the course of a six-year investigation that delved into a range of state contracts, political donations, and allegations of backroom deals. Much of it rested on hundreds of hours of recorded telephone conversations, including dozens between Blagojevich and his top advisers. It broke dramatically into the public realm in late 2008, as prosecutors alleged the governor was attempting to cash in an extremely valuable political chit – the newly open senate seat that had been vacated by Obama.

In one tape, Blagojevich can be heard telling an aide “I mean I, I’ve got this thing and it’s [bleep]ing golden … And I, I’m just not giving it up for [bleeping nothing.”

Blagojevich said the tapes may sound boorish, but they only capture what he called “routine” musings and brainstorming with his lawyers and advisers about the options arrayed before him.

“I was discussing ideas,” he said. “Good ones, stupid ones, ugly ones, just discussing ideas, thinking out loud. Discussing different scenarios.”

Ross asked, “You really believe this is routine politics? This is what politics is?”

Blagojevich replied: “It’s routine political horse trading. Say what you will, this is how the system works.”

Later, Blagojevich defended his decision to allow his children to attend his trial – something jurors said afterwards they found distasteful. He said his 14-year-old daughter asked him to allow her to attend. Once he consented, he said his younger daughter, who is seven, did not want to be left behind.

The federal case against him, he added, has taken a severe toll on his family. He recounted how he heard his younger child playing out a conversation between two dolls in which one doll said to the other, “You know I know you lied about me because you want to put me in jail but I’m still your friend.”

“I found that heartbreaking because my little one is actually picking up some of the dynamics of this case where I’ve had some friends that have lied about me and she knows that happens,” the former governor said. “She knows that there was one we didn’t win and the others we’re in a good place on, but we’re going to work on that.”

Blagojevich said that he would, under no condition, accept a plea deal that would require him to admit guilt in any of the corruption allegations – even a deal that allowed him to stay out of prison. On the one guilty count alone, he could face a five year sentence, though he vowed to appeal.

“The real world of politics, Brian, is rough and tumble business,” he said.”

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/blago-winston-churchill-mount-dramatic-comeback/t/story?id=11448425

Obama nomination of John Wyma attorney Zach Fardon to replace Patrick Fitzgerald conflict of interest, More Obama stacking of USDOJ, Wyma Obama involvement in Health Board corruption and senate seat selling

Obama nomination of John Wyma attorney Zach Fardon to replace Patrick Fitzgerald conflict of interest, More Obama stacking of USDOJ, Wyma Obama involvement in Health Board corruption and senate seat selling

“Why did the Illinois Senate Health & Human Services Committee, with Obama as chairman, create and push Bill 1332, “Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act,” early in 2003, which reduced the number of members on the Board from 15 to 9, just prior to rigging by Tony Rezko and Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells

“The defense also questioned whether the government fully investigated Rezko’s allegations — which were the subject of recent court filings — that Wyma was involved in a specific bribery scheme at the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board.”…Chicago Tribune November 29, 2011

“I believe I’m more pristine on Rezko than him.”…Rod Blagojevich

 

Barack Obama and John Wyma are both tied to Chicago corruption scandals including the rigging of the IL Health Planning Facilities Board and the selling of Obama’s senate seat.

Now Obama has nominated John Wyma’s attorney, Zach Fardon to replace Patrick Fitzgerald in the USDOJ.

Pre Obama this was considered a conflict of interest.

In the Obama Big Brother regime this is status quo.

From Citizen Wells December 2, 2011.

“Most of what we are fed from the media about Blagojevich is in regard to the alleged selling of Obama’s senate seat. As I have stated repeatedly, that was a cleverly crafted diversion. The Justice Department has added to this charade by dropping counts 1,2 and 4 against Blagojevich which contain references to much of the earlier corruption tied to Obama, specifically the rigging of the IL Health Planning Board. Today’s hearing is in regard to a motion about the testimony of John Wyma. I was pleased to find that 2 reports out of Chicago did not limit references to just the alleged selling of the senate seat.

From the Chicago Tribune November 29, 2011.

“With one week to go before former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is sentenced for widespread public corruption, his attorneys have asked a federal judge to consider what they say is new evidence regarding a key government witness.”

“In the filing, Blagojevich’s defense team referenced the recent sentencing of Blagojevich fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko. Rezko was sentenced to 10 1/2 years in prison last week.

In their filing, Blagojevich’s attorneys say prosecutors failed to tell the judge who approved wiretaps for the Blagojevich investigation that then-staffer John Wyma, who was a confidential informant for the government, had cut a deal to avoid being investigated.

But Wyma’s attorney denied his client had any agreement with the government in 2008 when he agreed to be a confidential informant.

“There was never any understanding he would not be investigated,” attorney Zach Fardon said. “He cooperated truthfully with no preconditions.”

Wyma later received immunity from the government when he was subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury.

The defense also questioned whether the government fully investigated Rezko’s allegations — which were the subject of recent court filings — that Wyma was involved in a specific bribery scheme at the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board.”

Read more:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-blagojevich-filings-20111129,0,3280336.story

From the Chicago SunTimes November 28, 2011.

“Blago’s lawyers want hearing based on new John Wyma information

Rod Blagojevich’s lawyers are asking for a special hearing to discuss what they say is new information regarding a key witness at the former governor’s trial.

They are asking U.S. District Judge James Zagel for an evidentiary hearing regarding the testimony of onetime Blagojevich friend and lobbyist John Wyma, arguing they weren’t allowed to properly cross examine him at trial. It was Wyma’s cooperation in 2008 that led to FBI wiretaps against the now-convicted ex-governor.

In a weekend filing, lawyers questioned whether the government properly vetted information against Wyma that was provided by a cooperating Tony Rezko. Rezko, a onetime fund-raiser to Blagojevich convicted on 16 counts of corruption, was sentenced to 10 ½ years last week.

In filings regarding Rezko’s sentencing, Wyma’s cooperation with the government is discussed, including that Rezko told prosecutors that he tried to extract a campaign contribution through Wyma from Provena Health, whom Wyma represented as a lobbyist at the time.

Lawyers question whether bribery was involved when Provena was granted a certificate of need from an Illinois hospital board. Rezko told prosecutors in private sessions that Provena had a dispute with someone on the hospital board and resolved it by paying the board member, according to the Blagojevich defense filing. Prosecutors say the charge was unsubstantiated.”

Read more:

http://www.suntimes.com/9114418-417/blagos-lawyers-want-hearing-based-on-new-john-wyma-information.html

Perhaps the effort to throw Obama under the bus is underway.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/john-wyma-testimony-blagojevich-hearing-december-2-2011-wyma-chicago-corruption-ties-media-and-justice-department-protect-obama/

From CNS News May 23, 2013.

The Obama administration has picked a private attorney and former federal prosecutor who helped send former Illinois Gov. George Ryan to prison for corruption to head the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago, Illinois’ senators announced Thursday.

Zachary Fardon would replace Patrick Fitzgerald, who stepped down last summer to enter private practice. Fitzgerald rose to national prominence during more than a decade in the office and successfully convicted two Illinois governors, including Ryan. The U.S. Senate must confirm President Barack Obama’s nomination of Fardon.

Both of Illinois’ senators, Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Mark Kirk, support the choice.

“Zachary Fardon will be an exceptional U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois,” Durbin said in a news release announcing the nomination.”

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/new-federal-prosecutor-nominated-chicago

 

Consider this from chicago1st December 5, 2008.

“All of this follows the recent conviction of Tony Rezko and his apparent cooperation with prosecutors as well as the indictment of William Cellini for extorting campaign contributions for Blago from a film producer. What are the odds Sen. Durbin will be writing President Obama in 2012 or 2016 to commute Blago’s sentence?”

http://chicagoist.com/2008/12/05/blago_gets_snared_in_the_wire.php

Obama nominates Zachary Fardon to replace Patrick Fitzgerald, Fardon represented John Wyma Blagojevich friend crony, Wyma avoided prosecution by being witness

Obama nominates Zachary Fardon to replace Patrick Fitzgerald, Fardon represented John Wyma Blagojevich friend crony, Wyma avoided prosecution by being witness

“Why did the Illinois Senate Health & Human Services Committee, with Obama as chairman, create and push Bill 1332, “Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act,” early in 2003, which reduced the number of members on the Board from 15 to 9, just prior to rigging by Tony Rezko and Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells

“Why did Patrick Fitzgerald and the US Justice Department wait until December 2008 to arrest Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells

“I believe I’m more pristine on Rezko than him.”…Rod Blagojevich

 

From CNS News May 23, 2013.

“New federal prosecutor nominated for Chicago”

The Obama administration has picked a private attorney and former federal prosecutor who helped send former Illinois Gov. George Ryan to prison for corruption to head the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago, Illinois’ senators announced Thursday.

Zachary Fardon would replace Patrick Fitzgerald, who stepped down last summer to enter private practice. Fitzgerald rose to national prominence during more than a decade in the office and successfully convicted two Illinois governors, including Ryan. The U.S. Senate must confirm President Barack Obama’s nomination of Fardon.

Both of Illinois’ senators, Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Mark Kirk, support the choice.

“Zachary Fardon will be an exceptional U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois,” Durbin said in a news release announcing the nomination. “I spoke to him today and advised him that he’ll have to hit the ground running and immediately focus on daily gang and gun violence plaguing the streets of Chicago.”

Kirk called Fardon “an outstanding pick to continue Patrick Fitzgerald’s tradition of aggressively prosecuting criminal activity that threatens northern Illinois.”

The post is widely regarded as Chicago’s second-most powerful job, after the mayor. The chief prosecutor and around 170 assistant attorneys also have an impact beyond Illinois, including by handling major terrorism cases.

Fardon, a partner at the Chicago law firm Latham Watkins, was on the team of federal prosecutors who secured convictions against Ryan in 2006. In that case and in others, Fardon gained a reputation as an adept, quick-witted cross-examiner.

Fardon also served in the U.S. attorney’s office in Nashville, Tenn., and later entered private practice. Among his clients was John Wyma, a longtime lobbyist and friend of former Illinois Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whose testimony helped convict Ryan of corruption.”

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/new-federal-prosecutor-nominated-chicago

From the Chicago SunTimes July 27, 2010.

“Sam Adam Jr. has just accused President Barack Obama and his transition team of negotiating with Blagojevich.

The offer came from Rod to Tom Balanoff, Adam says. Balanoff brought it to Valerie Jarrett and word came back from Rahm Emanuel through John Wyma. It’s a negotiation they were in, he said of Obama and Blagojevich.”

Read more:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/blago/2010/07/sam_adam_jr_accuses_barack_oba.html

From ABC News December 12, 2008.

“Blagojevich Confidant Turned Informant”
“For years, John Wyma has been one of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s closest allies. He served as Blagojevich’s chief of staff in Congress and was a key advisor in his 2002 campaign for governor. When his former boss took over the statehouse, Wyma remained a central fundraiser and counselor, but also had Blagojevich’s ear as a lobbyist. But now this longtime advisor and old friend has become one of the most significant cooperators in the government’s efforts to put Blagojevich behind bars.

Wyma, 41, was close to much of the alleged wrongdoing during the feds’ five-year probe, and he remains a subject of the government’s investigation into the Illinois Health Planning Facilities Board, according to the criminal complaint for Blagojevich. But Wyma’s turn from confidant to informant ultimately inched prosecutors to the governor’s most recent — and most brazen — alleged attempts to trade political favors for campaign cash, the complaint states.

A fixture of the Blagojevich’s inner circle, Wyma as a lobbyist routinely traveled with the governor, flying with him during official state trips more than a dozen times during his first term, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

For years, John Wyma has been one of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s closest allies. He served as Blagojevich’s chief of staff in Congress and was a key advisor in his 2002 campaign for governor. When his former boss took over the statehouse, Wyma remained a central fundraiser and counselor, but also had Blagojevich’s ear as a lobbyist. But now this longtime advisor and old friend has become one of the most significant cooperators in the government’s efforts to put Blagojevich behind bars.

A friend of the governor for more than a decade, on the day before his arrest Blagojevich told reporters he and Wyma talked football the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

“You can’t get much closer than they are to each other,” said Rich Miller who runs the Illinois political insider blog Capitol Fox. “[Wyma’s] a lobbyist but he’s almost never in Springfield lobbying legislators. He virtually only lobbies the governor at his home in Chicago.”

Wyma could not be reached for comment, despite multiple calls and visits to his office and addresses listed in his name. His attorney, former federal prosecutor Zachary Fardon, who helped put former Illinois Governor George Ryan in jail, said in an email statement today that “There are news stories indicating that my client, John Wyma, is “Individual A” in the criminal complaint against Governor Rod Blagojevich. Mr. Wyma has made efforts to provide federal investigators with truthful information regarding the matters under investigation and will continue to do so. Out of respect for the ongoing process, we are making no further statements related to these matters at this time.”

Individual A
Those efforts began just months ago, in October, when, according to the criminal complaint released in the wake of the governor ‘s arrest Tuesday, Wyma — believed to be the person identified in documents only as Individual A — began talking with the FBI. The timing hardly seems a coincidence: it dovetails with the weeks, according to published accounts, that Wyma was named in a subpoena sent to former client Provena Health. The hospital company had donated money to the governor ‘s campaign shortly after receiving a favorable ruling.

Whatever his role in the hospital donations, Wyma’s cooperation soon proved fruitful to prosecutors. According to the criminal complaint, Wyma is one of the key sources to the source of the tip that Blagojevich is using the final months of the year to raise funds through payoffs before the new state ethics law goes into effect in January. That law would sharply limit any individual or entity with state contracts worth more than $50,000 from donating to the governor’s campaign coffers.”

Read more:

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/ConductUnbecoming/story?id=6444648&page=1#.UZ6fhEA3vhI

From the McHenry County blog October 24, 2008.

“Health Facilities Planning Board Controversy Again”

“Last time it was the Mercy Health System’s attempt to obtain the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board’s approval.

Joseph Levine, Jim Ryan’s biggest fund raiser turned Rod Blagojevich buddy, fixed the favorable outcome after his contractor buddy Jacob Kiferbaum got the nod from Mercy to build the Crystal Lake hospital. Kiferbaum agreed to kick back to Levine and Tony Rezko.

To put it in the words of the U.S. Attorney’s press release on the Tony Rezko indictment:
“Rezko and Levine also were seeking to obtain a kickback of at least $1 million from contractor Jacob Kiferbaum, whose construction company was to build a new facility for Mercy Hospital in Crystal Lake, Illinois, if that facility received approval from the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, on which Levine sat.”

In any event, this time the controversy is down the Fox Valley in Elgin and concerns Provena St. Joe’s being granted permission to conduct open heart surgery after hiring John Wyma.

The gist of the Chicago Tribune story by Ray Long and Jeff Coen is that Provena hired Wyma. About a month after having gotten permission to expand its medical service, Provena’s for-profit arm made a $25,000 contribution to Governor Blagojevich’s campaign fund.”

http://mchenrycountyblog.com/category/john-wyma/

JohnWyma

 

Obama pardons echo Clinton Holder pardon of Marc Rich?, Last months of Obama administration ugly?, Who is going to pardon Obama?

Obama pardons echo Clinton Holder pardon of Marc Rich?, Last months of Obama administration ugly?, Who is going to pardon Obama?

“Why has Obama, since taking the White House, used Justice Department Attorneys, at taxpayer expense,  to avoid presenting a legitimate birth certificate and college records?”…Citizen Wells

“Why did Mutual Bank fire whistleblower Kenneth J Conner after he
challenged the appraisal on the land purchased by Rita Rezko, just
prior to the land sale to Obama?”…Citizen Wells

“Why did Patrick Fitzgerald and the US Justice Department wait until December 2008 to arrest Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells

 

The following was written by Debra J. Saunders of the San Francisco Chronicle and reported at the Greensboro News Record on May 22, 2013.
“Obama may use power to pardon sparingly, if at all”

“Last week, Attorney General Eric Holder gave Washington a preview of how the last few months of the Obama administration are going to look, and they’re going to be ugly.

Holder knows ugly. He was, after all, deputy attorney general when President Bill Clinton issued his infamous 140 out-the-door pardons to unworthies such as Marc Rich, who fled to Switzerland after federal prosecutors issued a 51-count indictment against him in 1983 for tax evasion, racketeering and illegal trading with Iran. Even though Rich was a fugitive from federal prosecution, Holder issued a “neutral, leaning towards favorable” opinion on the pardon; Rich’s attorney also used to be Clinton’s attorney.”

Will Obama pardon Blagojevich?

Was a deal struck just before Blagojevich was arrested in 2008?

ObamaBlagoNov2008

From Citizen Wells May 21, 2013.

One has to wonder that if Obama appears to be in jeopardy if Blagojevich or even Rezko will talk.

Don’t believe Obama can be touched?

From WND May 19, 2013.

“HALF OF AMERICA WANTS OBAMA IMPEACHED”

“The faux stone columns from his Denver acceptance speech are crumbling, the fireworks have fizzled and the unadulterated adulation of Barack Obama is a sour feeling of disillusion, as a new poll reveals half of America wants him impeached, including a stunning one in four Democrats.

“It may be early in the process for members of Congress to start planning for impeachment of Barack Obama, but the American public is building a serious appetite for it,” said Fritz Wenzel, of Wenzel Strategies, which did the telephone poll Thursday. It has a margin of error of 4.36 percent.

“Half or nearly half of those surveyed said they believed Obama should be impeached for the trifecta of scandals now consuming Washington.””

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/obama-arrest-impeachment-resignation-imminent-benghazi-gate-irs-gate-usdoj-gate-al-vt-supreme-court-eligibility-cases-arpaio-investigation-blagojevich-appeal-fdic-mutual-bank-lawsuit/

Who is going to pardon Obama?

Obama arrest impeachment resignation imminent?, Benghazi gate IRS gate USDOJ gate, AL VT supreme court eligibility cases, Arpaio investigation, Blagojevich appeal, FDIC Mutual Bank lawsuit

Obama arrest impeachment resignation imminent?, Benghazi gate IRS gate USDOJ gate, AL VT supreme court eligibility cases, Arpaio investigation, Blagojevich appeal, FDIC Mutual Bank lawsuit

“Why has Obama, since taking the White House, used Justice Department Attorneys, at taxpayer expense,  to avoid presenting a legitimate birth certificate and college records?”…Citizen Wells

“The question that I had in my mind, was why did we not do something to protect our forces?”…Charles Woods, father of slain Navy Seal

“Why did Mutual Bank fire whistleblower Kenneth J Connor after he
challenged the appraisal on the land purchased by Rita Rezko, just
prior to the land sale to Obama?”…Citizen Wells

We seem to be approaching a “perfect storm” of Obama controversies, any of which would have capsized a Republican president.

Obama’s pals in the mainstream media continue to minimize, mis report, under report and rectify news in an effort to protect Obama and themselves.

However, the brewing storm may be insurmountable for even the best Orwellian efforts of the Obama administration and the press.

Citizen Wells reported in 2008 that Obama had to win the election to keep from being prosecuted for Chicago corruption ties and involvement and for fraud in his eligibility and records. The same is true for 2012 and now Obama knows that he needs to maintain some control of congress with the 2014 elections.

That is, if he is still around then.

The spectre of Obama’s arrest, impeachment or resignation is more with us than ever.

Consider the following:

Project Gunrunner, aka Fast and Furious, has not been fully investigated.

Benghazi Gate.

IRS Gate.

USDOJ Gate.

The Sheriff Joe Arpaio investigation into the Obama birth certificate and other records is proceeding.

There are at least 2 eligibility cases active in state supreme courts.

Judge Roy Moore is the Supreme Court chief justice in Alabama. He has already questioned Obama’s eligibility and Mike Zullo of the Arpaio investigation has provided a lengthy affidavit.

Appellant H. Brooke Paige is awaiting decisions from the Vermont Supreme Court on several issues. He has challenged Obama’s natural born citizen status due to the father being Kenyan/British.

The Blagojevich appeal is still in the works. Many believe he expects a pardon or other assistance from Obama.

The FDIC lawsuit against Mutual Bank et al is still alive. This is the bank that loaned Rita Rezko the money for the lot adjacent to the Obama’s that was subsequently sold to them.

One has to wonder that if Obama appears to be in jeopardy if Blagojevich or even Rezko will talk.

Don’t believe Obama can be touched?

From WND May 19, 2013.

“HALF OF AMERICA WANTS OBAMA IMPEACHED”

“The faux stone columns from his Denver acceptance speech are crumbling, the fireworks have fizzled and the unadulterated adulation of Barack Obama is a sour feeling of disillusion, as a new poll reveals half of America wants him impeached, including a stunning one in four Democrats.

“It may be early in the process for members of Congress to start planning for impeachment of Barack Obama, but the American public is building a serious appetite for it,” said Fritz Wenzel, of Wenzel Strategies, which did the telephone poll Thursday. It has a margin of error of 4.36 percent.

“Half or nearly half of those surveyed said they believed Obama should be impeached for the trifecta of scandals now consuming Washington.””
Read more:

http://www.wnd.com/2013/05/half-of-america-wants-obama-impeached/#UqtAiECsPQldPw8Y.99

Obama update May 3, 2013, Jobs, Birth Certificate, Records, Chicago corruption court cases, Muslim Saudi ties, Benghazi, Fast & Furious, Gunrunner vs gun control

Obama update May 3, 2013, Jobs, Birth Certificate, Records, Chicago corruption court cases, Muslim Saudi ties, Benghazi, Fast & Furious, Gunrunner vs gun control

“Why has Obama, since taking the White House, used Justice Department Attorneys, at taxpayer expense,  to avoid presenting a legitimate birth certificate and college records?”…Citizen Wells

“Khalid Al-Mansour was “raising money” for Obama.”
“Khalid Al-Mansour was trying to help Obama get into Harvard Law School.”…Percy Sutton

“With a 63.7% labor force participation, “conditions in the labor market are considerably worse than indicated” in July’s report”…economist Joshua Shapiro, WSJ August 3, 2012

Jobs

The (stated) unemployment rate for April is 7.5 percent.
The labor force participation rate is 63.3 percent. That is  2.8 percent lower than when Obama took office.

ADP just reported that 119,000 private sector were added in March. 150,000 were forecast.
The number of people with part time jobs is growing. A direct result of the economy and Obamacare.
Perhaps the best indicator is the fact that 20 %, 1 out of 5 Americans are on food stamps.

Birth Certificate.

A challenge to Obama being on the ballot in Alabama is scheduled to be before the Alabama Supreme Court headed by Judge Roy Moore. It is believed that the Sheriff Joe Arpaio investigation and investigator Mike Zullo will cooperate in the court case.

Records

Obama has still not released his college records.
We know that Saudi ties helped him enter Harvard. His college records should be interesting. Remember, he bowed to the saudi king.

Chicago corruption court cases

Blagojevich appeal.

It is believed that Blagojevich attorney Lauren Kaeseberg requested an extension to file an opening brief. She has not returned my email request.

FDIC vs Amrish Mahajan, et al.

This is the bank that loaned Rita Rezko the money for the lot purchase that was subsequently sold in part to the Obamas. The lawsuit is still open.

Benghazi

Whistleblowers have come forward. Obama has denied attempts to silence them.
A senior US law enforcement official stated that 3 or 4 members of al Qaeda took part in the attack.
The internal panel that probed the Benghazi attack is under investigation.

Gunrunner vs gun control

Obama may be fairing better with Project Gunrunner than he is at federal attempts at gun control.
However, several states are moving forward with legislation.