Thursday, January 05, 2006
Feds Trying to Pry Lid Off O’Hare Corruption
Yesterday, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Manish Shah and Julie Ruder outlined evidence to be presented in the trial of Michael Acosta. It includes numerous references to John “Quarters” Boyle, convicted in not only the Hired Truck scandal, but earlier for making off with money collected from the Tollway. It also brings up the name of Vito Pesoli.
They are going after Acosta for soliciting $9,000 for a private police recognition ceremony and, then, allegedly, putting $4,000 of it in a bank account controlled by a subordinate and, ultimately, pocketing that amount.
$2,000 came through the assistance of Boyle, whose cell phone was being tapped for four months during the middle of last year because he was under investigation in the Hired Truck probe.
About 42 tapes will be used to show that Boyle sought favors “in connection with Acosta’s position in law enforcement” and, besides the donation, Acosta “requested favors and information form of Boyle in connection with construction work at the homes of Acosta and his daughter,” according to the federal filing.
Acosta’s lawyer successfully argued that allegedly lying to the FBI and taking the money meant for a police charity were unrelated and should be tried separately.
The document points out that Chicago policemen are prohibited from fraternizing with known felons, not to mention prohibited from releasing police information, “except as provided by Department orders.”
Among Boyle’s fulfilled requests of Acosta allegedly were
In return, Acosta apparently wanted his requests fulfilled promptly.
The proffer states,
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Pesoli “at the time an assistant commissioner in the city's Department of Streets and Sanitation (who retired six months ago) and a political operative. It's the first time prosecutors have mentioned Pesoli's name in the Hired Truck case.”
The Sun-Times also points out that Acosta had a connection to Nick LaCoco, whom the paper describes as “a mob bookmaker who controlled what hired trucks got business in the city's Department of Transportation.” LaCoco died in a horse riding accident before his trial. When he was arrested, the paper says Acosta’s cell phone number was written on the back of a card.
For his part, Acosta is alleged to have requested the following:
As a result of the information gathered by federal agents, Acosta was interviewed at O’Hare.
“In general, Acosta minimized the nature of his relationship with Boyle,” the document says.
Two weeks after that interview, Acosta reported it to his superiors in the Chicago Police Department “and falsely told them that he barely knew Boyle,” it continues.
Acosta retired last January, but, before doing so, he gave another officer $2,000 in cash to a subordinate to be put into one of the charitable police accounts.
A summary:
They are going after Acosta for soliciting $9,000 for a private police recognition ceremony and, then, allegedly, putting $4,000 of it in a bank account controlled by a subordinate and, ultimately, pocketing that amount.
$2,000 came through the assistance of Boyle, whose cell phone was being tapped for four months during the middle of last year because he was under investigation in the Hired Truck probe.
About 42 tapes will be used to show that Boyle sought favors “in connection with Acosta’s position in law enforcement” and, besides the donation, Acosta “requested favors and information form of Boyle in connection with construction work at the homes of Acosta and his daughter,” according to the federal filing.
Acosta’s lawyer successfully argued that allegedly lying to the FBI and taking the money meant for a police charity were unrelated and should be tried separately.
The document points out that Chicago policemen are prohibited from fraternizing with known felons, not to mention prohibited from releasing police information, “except as provided by Department orders.”
Among Boyle’s fulfilled requests of Acosta allegedly were
· a rap sheet on a masonry contractor friend’s employee (for which the contractor agreed to pay Boyle $5,000),
· getting excess baggage fees waived,
· investigative files on a Chicago bar,
· a policeman to ticket cars blocking a Boyle construction site,
· release of a car owned by a plumbing and sewer contractor from an O’Hare parking lot without paying the fees
In return, Acosta apparently wanted his requests fulfilled promptly.
The proffer states,
In one intercepted call, Boyle and Vito Pesoli complain to each other that Acosta had given them short notice in connection with an unspecified request. Boyle said that in reply to Boyle’s complaint , Acosta told Boyle said, “When guys get locked up for DUI, you call me the same time it happens and get him out.”
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Pesoli “at the time an assistant commissioner in the city's Department of Streets and Sanitation (who retired six months ago) and a political operative. It's the first time prosecutors have mentioned Pesoli's name in the Hired Truck case.”
The Sun-Times also points out that Acosta had a connection to Nick LaCoco, whom the paper describes as “a mob bookmaker who controlled what hired trucks got business in the city's Department of Transportation.” LaCoco died in a horse riding accident before his trial. When he was arrested, the paper says Acosta’s cell phone number was written on the back of a card.
For his part, Acosta is alleged to have requested the following:
· advice,
· favors,
· contributions to police fundraisers,
· construction work on his daughter’s property, and
· a fence for his property.
As a result of the information gathered by federal agents, Acosta was interviewed at O’Hare.
“In general, Acosta minimized the nature of his relationship with Boyle,” the document says.
Two weeks after that interview, Acosta reported it to his superiors in the Chicago Police Department “and falsely told them that he barely knew Boyle,” it continues.
Acosta retired last January, but, before doing so, he gave another officer $2,000 in cash to a subordinate to be put into one of the charitable police accounts.
A summary:
The evidence in this submission establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that Boyle and Acosta’s relationship included a venture to use Acosta’s law enforcement position to trade favors between each other…
# posted by Cal Skinner : 1:19 PM
