Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Drawing the Map

  • Perry Mandera might not be a well-known name in most circles. But when he tried to get people a job in then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration, it seems his name carried weight, according to records kept by Blagojevich aides.

    Hundreds of clout-heavy political sponsors turned to Blagojevich in the early days of his tenure as governor, asking him to give friends, family members and supporters state jobs, promotions and appointments, the secret hiring database obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times shows.
    Most of the sponsors were politicians. But not Mandera. He's the president of a company that owns VIP's A Gentlemen's Club, a topless bar on the Near North Side.
And everyone knows who runs the skin trade in Chicago, right? If you don't, here's some more hints from the paper:
  • "I talked to one person at one time, but that's drawn way out of proportion," Mandera said. "I believe I spoke to Mr. Kelly about one of those names, a minority individual. But that was it."
    Mandera -- who is the ex-husband of state Sen. Iris Martinez (D-Chicago) -- declined to identify that person.
A state senator? Politicians and strip club owners mixing?
  • But any such talks would have had to have taken place at a point when Mandera was in hot water with the federal government. His Northlake trucking business -- called the Custom Companies -- was sued in May 2002 by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in a sexual harassment case that resulted in a $1.1 million fine against the company in 2007.

    The government proved that female sales representatives of Mandera's trucking business were required to entertain clients at his previous strip club, called Crazy Horse, Too.
"required to entertain?"
  • Mandera also was busy in another legal venue, fighting the City of Chicago in a case that went to the Illinois Supreme Court after Crazy Horse, Too had its liquor license revoked for violating a city ordinance barring the sale of alcohol in adult-entertainment businesses that featured all-nude dancers.

    That case exposed ties among the club, Mandera and a family linked to organized crime in Chicago.

    The court's 2006 opinion noted that Mandera employed Fred Pascente, a reputed Chicago mobster, at Crazy Horse, Too between 1995 and 1999. Pascente's son was an assistant manager at the business who is quoted in court documents as having described Mandera as "a family friend."

    Fred Pascente, a former Chicago cop, was convicted of mail fraud in 1995. He is listed in the Nevada Gaming Commission and State Gaming Control Board's Black Book, which bars him from entering any Nevada casino, based on his federal conviction and for being "an associate of the Chicago organized crime family."
And there's a CPD connection, Outfit connection, Nevada Gaming Commission connection. It's all connected. McKinney and Kass ought to get together, break open any old boxes sitting in Royko's attic and write a book that links it all together. It would be a gripping tale.

Labels:

44 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

They got rid of the Stock Yards decades ago, yet there's still a stench of illegal activity in this city that's worse than the smell of the cattle and hogs from back in the day.

Masters Masters Masters Masters

10/20/2009 12:09:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My head is spinning. WTF?

10/20/2009 12:09:00 AM  
Anonymous Nicky said...

Big fucking deal. They got two names in that black book and one of them is still Al Capone.

10/20/2009 12:24:00 AM  
Blogger Jocko said...

I saw Big Bird hanging out once at V.I.P. I was there to pick up my mom from work. Man, that guy isn't stingy with the dollar bills, let me tell ya!

Still, If you think this is bad, I'm sure the average citizen would probably vomit if they ever went inside the local C.A.P.S. office and saw their hard earned money pissed away to fund programs where police impersonators take kids out to the suburbs and take them to petting zoos.

10/20/2009 12:31:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Also on Breaking news web site:

"FBI-Link missed in ex-streets & sanitation boss' case"

I'll summarize for you.

Corruption..Al Sanchez trial..Brian Gabriel, a city truck driver and "alleged" leader in the spanish vice lords..and target of two (2) FBI investigations.

One a gang investigation. The other he was interviewed as a witness in the Sanchez case.

Two FBI investigations..Yet according to testimony during a court hearing today..the FBI failed to make the connection..(oops!) Good job FBI!

10/20/2009 12:50:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Illinois combine!
The Illinois/chicago syndicate runs this town!
FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS COULD MAKE A CAREER HERE!

10/20/2009 01:41:00 AM  
Blogger John Northen said...

So now the Sun-Times is going to demonize former Area 6 Burglary Det. Fred Pascente. When we worked the same unit together, Fred was a good detective with a dogged determination to lock up bad guys.

After we had gone our separate ways, I learned that the G had convicted him for mail fraud, the "disorderly conduct" of the U.S. Code. I have no knowledge of the circumstances which led to his conviction.

In any event, the Fred that I knew was a good cop. Granted, based on his appearance, Hollywood central casting would depict him as mafioso.

In my experience, Freddie was a gentleman and a credit to the CPD.

I'll be damned if I'm going to stand idly by while some judgmental rag takes a broad brush and tries to paint the guy as a lifelong monster. Shit happens.

10/20/2009 01:43:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

way to go ernie, keep it up.

10/20/2009 02:04:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Listen, uses gotts dis all wrong, da guy you want to look at for dis is George W Bush.

10/20/2009 02:36:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

the place was cool in a sense, right next to the jetts and the crow bar--- could we maybe put badboyavitch in the heeney balloon and hope it pops somewhere in the middle of the atlantic... i'm getting sick of hearing all the blago bs in the media-----

10/20/2009 03:12:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Kass is good. Very Good. Seems like Ovid DeMaris, "City in Chains" should be dragged off the shelf, and new names penciled in?

10/20/2009 06:03:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Perry Mandera is also involved with Custom Cartage, a mob owned trucking outfit. The tales of kickbacks to shipping managers they dealt with are absolutely ridiculous.

10/20/2009 06:34:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What are the ties to Rosemont?

10/20/2009 06:59:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I remember reading on "Chicago Syndicate" web-site that Patty Blagovich was directly related to a "made" mob-leader. I also remember reading that Blagovich himself was a mob-tied bookie (in Elmwood Park?) when he was in law school. Anyone can confirm?

Isn't Mell's family surname an adopted name? I remember reading that he has direct mob ties as well.

Anyways, doesn't seem that Blagovich needed to have Mandera connection to have a mob connection. It seems like Blagovich has multiple mob connections.

Anyone notice that the Country Club Hills police chief "investigating" Kelly's "suicide" also had pocketed substantial ($4 million) government monies for a failed movie theatre renovation on south-side, and that Kelly's girlfriend has Chicago organized crime ties as well?

Lastly, isn't one of Blagovich's attornies also a well-known mob-connected attorney? If I was Blagovich, I'd want to get out of town before my one-car fatal accident or aspirin overdose occurs. Blagovich would seem to be a marked man, given all that he knows from his years of participation in mob service and political corruption.

10/20/2009 07:36:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'll be damned if I'm going to stand idly by while some judgmental rag takes a broad brush and tries to paint the guy as a lifelong monster. Shit happens.

10/20/2009 01:43:00 AM

SHIT HAPPENS? Your allegiance to guys that were once 'good guys' is misplaced. You were a good cop, now you're a good citizen (a little crazy maybe}. If you turn into a shitbird, or you hid it well before, you are a shitbird plain and simple. By your standards John Wayne Gacy was alright because he made a lot of kids happy as a clown!

10/20/2009 07:49:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Freds kid is a decent guy, he used to be on the job as well but he was terminated a few days before his year was up.

It seems to me that the FBI should be looking at Daley and his kid and while they're at it grab his nephew too. But we all know that will never happen because I truly believe Daley is an inormant, why else does everybody take a fall around him. I guess they should ask Santos to see if she could shed some light on some of his illegal activities.

By the way Daley if you read this how did it feel to get smacked down by the IOC. HAHAHAHA I still piss my pants laughing everyday about that. You thought it was a shoe in and you got schooled.

10/20/2009 08:19:00 AM  
Anonymous Tommy DeVito said...

Northside

I agree. Freddie Pascente was a goodfella.

10/20/2009 08:28:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Illinois combine!
The Illinois/chicago syndicate runs this town!
FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS COULD MAKE A CAREER HERE!

10/20/2009 01:41:00 AM

Federal investigators DO make a career of investigating in this town. They take twenty years to get a case together. Then they retire and no one goes to prison. How many years to put away the guys for Family Secrets?

Yeah, that's what I thought. Oh, but don't question how they do their thing. They're the real professionals. J-Fed is a perfect example of the quality of fed over here.

10/20/2009 08:28:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And they're still selling liquor, aren't they?
And Nickeas and Brown worked there too.
And that trucking company had the highest level clearance at the airport.

Nothing to see here. Move along.

10/20/2009 08:53:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

An if they dig a little deeper they will find a connection to Fast Eddie V. Who is godfather to on of his daughters!

10/20/2009 09:00:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"I'll be damned if I'm going to stand idly by while some judgmental rag takes a broad brush and tries to paint the guy as a lifelong monster. Shit happens.

10/20/2009 01:43:00 AM"

Lifelong MOBSTER would be more apt. What's wrong Northside your Knight Freddie looking a little tarnished? What's his connection to Chief Hanhardt?
If we looked at those arrest reports of yore I'm sure the badguys were just fellow hoods taking away business from the Guys Freddie was looking out for. KAPEESH?

10/20/2009 09:01:00 AM  
Blogger Rue St. Michel said...

A few years ago I sat with Iris Martinez and she was whining about how the elderly in Bucktown couldn't afford to pay their property taxes.

My reply was well that means their property values have skyrocketed and that they should sell and move somewhere where its more affordable.

She then said she wanted to mandate that 25% of all new construction be set aside for "the poor"

My wife and I had just spent 5 solid years saving money for our first home purchase, and here's a city politician intending to just give new construction homes to some losers.

Iris Martinez is nothing more than a pandering, big government, city political hack.

We give, give, give - and they take, take, take ... and take some more.

10/20/2009 09:19:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Northside-

People like you turn a blind eye to those who are on the fringes of the mob.

He was convicted of mail fraud and worked for this guy, who has obvious connections to the mob, at a strip club.

Doesn't sound like a real clean cut guy.

10/20/2009 09:33:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can you say Mafia ? It's up and running at full strength in SHITCAGO!

10/20/2009 10:03:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'll be damned if I'm going to stand idly by while some judgmental rag takes a broad brush and tries to paint the guy as a lifelong monster. Shit happens.

10/20/2009 01:43:00 AM

I'm starting to wonder about you Northside. You know, if it looks like a duck, quacks....

10/20/2009 10:04:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

God this really is the most corrupt city and state in the nation!

10/20/2009 10:07:00 AM  
Anonymous double down said...

In describing Pascente as a mobster, the reporter wisely chose to modify it with "reputed". Had he not, Fred would have a good case for libel versus the Sun-Times.

Banned from Vegas casinos? I was on a big roll at blackjack. Some paranoid pit boss comes over and cuts me off as a card counter. WTF!

10/20/2009 11:04:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Required to entertain" clients as a sexual harassment lawsuit probably means that female salespeople had to bring clients into the strip joint, not that they were prostitutes. If the feds wanted to nail him for having his strippers work as prostitutes, that'd be clearly stated in the indictments.

10/20/2009 11:32:00 AM  
Anonymous 011 Old Timer said...

Hey, Northside-

Maybe we should turn ourselves into the feds for "associating with the Outfit".

Remember working midnights in Fillmore? Rocky's, 3756 Chicago Ave. was the only place to eat breakfast in that shithole district.

Our breakfast "buddies" included "Wee Willie" Messino, Sam "Momo" Giancana, "Joe Gags", Jackie Cerone, Chris Cardi and Marshall Caifano.

10/20/2009 12:28:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fred in the past was head of security for the casion's in Joliet as well as casino's in South Florida. But a good copper just connected with the right people but maybe not always for the right purpose

10/20/2009 05:13:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

when al capone failed to do a paint job on the leader of the irish mob, MORAN, he never would of believed that MORAN'S descendants would one day grow up to be mayors, hell the daley's were even in the white house. wasn't that the godfather's dream what an irony

10/20/2009 05:46:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Northside,

According to a high ranking CPD boss at the time, your guy was one of the last guys to see Alan Dorfman alive. Coincidence, who knows...

10/20/2009 07:05:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why can't I sign in via my GOOGLE/BLOGSPOT ACCOUNT? Is anyone else having a problem signing in?

10/20/2009 09:08:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

WTF. Dont you listen. Eve proved there is no criminal acts in the strip clubs. She blew $10 grand contigency money on a big fat negative. No gambling, no prostitution in Chicago. She cleaned it up. Ernie said so.Sheez.

10/20/2009 09:38:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The FBI had Whitey Bulger as an informant. Wake up- they are as corrupt as any organization. If you happen to meet an FBI agent- ask him about John Connelly , the supervisor from Boston who covered up all of Whitey's nonsense.( murders included)-- my guess- Daley plays the part of Jack Nicholson in the "Departed"


How did John Connelly get back to Boston ( where he was from) when he joined the FBI? The then speaker of the house- John McCormick- it aint on the legit folks- do not think the "G" is going to save the city.

10/20/2009 10:04:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What's the big deal about Fred Pascente? Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Northside worked with the guy and gave a positive opinion. If Pascente did have a dark side, he sure wouldn't display it around Northside. John is as clean as a hound's tooth.

Why don't the feds go for the big fish? Everybody knows that corrupt Daley and many of his 50 thieves are the real problem. Still the Justice Dept. gives him a pass like he's untouchable.

10/20/2009 10:36:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anyone notice that the Country Club Hills police chief "investigating" Kelly's "suicide" also had pocketed substantial ($4 million) government monies for a failed movie theatre renovation on south-side, and that Kelly's girlfriend has Chicago organized crime ties as well?



Next time, address her properly: Former Chicago Police Sgt and current Country Club Hills Police Chief.

10/21/2009 12:08:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And they're still selling liquor, aren't they?
And Nickeas and Brown worked there too.
And that trucking company had the highest level clearance at the airport.

Nothing to see here. Move along.


ARE YOU STARTING TO UNDERSTAND WHY ERNIE IS F*CKING WITH VICE SO MUCH? HE WANTS ULTIMATE CONTROL.

10/21/2009 01:16:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Northside Fred was a nice guy.Very funny. But to describe him as a hard working copper and a good detective. A credit to the CPD. You must be drinking some of that funny cool aid.

10/21/2009 06:26:00 AM  
Blogger northside said...

UNCLE!!!

Alright. Out of my profound respect for my former colleagues in Area 6, it was my privilege to work alongside many of the CPD's very best detectives. You know who you are, guys. This would NOT include Fred.

Yet Freddie was a fun guy with a great sense of humor. I can honestly say that I never had any reason to believe that he was corrupt. As the Joe Pesci ballbuster wrote yesterday at 8:28 AM, Freddie was a "goodfella".

Then "011 Old Timer" at 12:28 PM raises a compelling point. At Rocky's, the only place for breakfast on midnights, we often sat side by side and joked with Outfit guys that were reputed Mafia hitmen, a few who later even got whacked themselves. We exchanged the most hilarious stories, none of which were incriminating.

I wish Freddie the best and thanks for the laughs.

10/21/2009 10:00:00 AM  
Anonymous Freddie said...

What do you mean, funny? I'm funny how? I mean funny like I'm a clown? I amuse you? I make you laugh? I'm here to fuckin' amuse you? How da fuck am I funny? What da fuck is so funny about me? Tell me! What's funny, you stutterin' prick ya?

10/21/2009 11:19:00 AM  
Anonymous thirty two n skiddoo said...

What is all this incredulous hair gel hyperventilation?

CPD has and will always have organized crime throughout their ranks. Nothing has changed in over a hundred years and it's not gonna change now.

Wake up!
You think Hanhardt was the only one?????!!!!!!
They are EVERYWHERE in this department.
Don't be naive, young hair gels.
Wake up and smell the Starbucks!!!!

10/21/2009 12:58:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

CORRECTION: Former Chicago Police merit lieuenant now Chief of police in Country Club Hills. She retired as a LT out of the 001st district. " Country Club Chicago"

10/21/2009 01:42:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Indiana trooper charged in Michigan armed robbery

http://www.southtownstar.com

10/22/2009 10:52:00 AM  

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