Friday, May 01, 2009
M & M Amusements’ Campaign Contributions: Berwyn, Cicero and Blagojevich
This article, written on Feb. 24, 2005, has been posted for reference purposes.
When a firm identified as part of the “Chicago Outfit” by the federal government gets into politics, who gets the money?
In today’s indictments of alleged mobsters and January’s unsealing of a late 2003 FBI request for a search warrant of Cicero’s M & M Amusement, the FBI provided probable cause to a Chicago federal court that the firm was operating an illegal video poker business.
Looking at the State Board of Elections data base turned up $13,000 in 17 contributions from M & M, including one to gubernatorial candidate Rod Blagojevich for $500 after his successful primary election.
Thursday morning, I asked Peter Giangreco, the Governor’s political spokesman, what Blagojevich planned to do about the money he received from M & M. No reply was received prior to the posting of this article.
The search warrant says that the FBI identified 44 bars, restaurants and social clubs in which M & M had placed video gaming devices. Bars in the towns of Cicero and Berwyn regularly pop up in the evidence presented showing that M & M split profits from video poker with owners of the establishments where the machines were installed.
M & M’s most recently reported contribution was $300 late last November to Michael Woodward, the City Clerk of Berwyn. This year, Woodward won the Democratic Party nomination for mayor, but lost the general election.
The Berwyn Regular Democratic Organization has been a consistent recipient of its campaign donations since 1999, when M & M started making them. In all, the Berwyn Democrats have gotten $4,700. Most of the organization’s candidates were beaten.
The powers that be in Cicero also have been regularly on the receiving end of the vending company’s checks.
Betty Loren-Maltese’s Cicero Political Action Committee got $1,500 from 1991 through 2001. Her committeeman fund received another $1,500 in 2002. And the Cicero Good Government Group, which backed both the winning Democrat and losing Republican candidate for state representative in 2004, as well as the election campaign of recently defeated Cicero Town President Ramiro Gonzalez, Loren-Maltese’s successor.
While the raid was primarily aimed at the Cicero office of M & M, all of the campaign contributions bear the address of 263 Driftwood Lane in Schaumburg, where the company is also registered with the Secretary of State’s Office. Michael A. Marcello is listed as the firm’s president. M & M was not accused of any wrong doing, but both Marcello and his brother James have just been indicted.
When a firm identified as part of the “Chicago Outfit” by the federal government gets into politics, who gets the money?
In today’s indictments of alleged mobsters and January’s unsealing of a late 2003 FBI request for a search warrant of Cicero’s M & M Amusement, the FBI provided probable cause to a Chicago federal court that the firm was operating an illegal video poker business.
Looking at the State Board of Elections data base turned up $13,000 in 17 contributions from M & M, including one to gubernatorial candidate Rod Blagojevich for $500 after his successful primary election.
Thursday morning, I asked Peter Giangreco, the Governor’s political spokesman, what Blagojevich planned to do about the money he received from M & M. No reply was received prior to the posting of this article.
The search warrant says that the FBI identified 44 bars, restaurants and social clubs in which M & M had placed video gaming devices. Bars in the towns of Cicero and Berwyn regularly pop up in the evidence presented showing that M & M split profits from video poker with owners of the establishments where the machines were installed.
M & M’s most recently reported contribution was $300 late last November to Michael Woodward, the City Clerk of Berwyn. This year, Woodward won the Democratic Party nomination for mayor, but lost the general election.
The Berwyn Regular Democratic Organization has been a consistent recipient of its campaign donations since 1999, when M & M started making them. In all, the Berwyn Democrats have gotten $4,700. Most of the organization’s candidates were beaten.
The powers that be in Cicero also have been regularly on the receiving end of the vending company’s checks.
Betty Loren-Maltese’s Cicero Political Action Committee got $1,500 from 1991 through 2001. Her committeeman fund received another $1,500 in 2002. And the Cicero Good Government Group, which backed both the winning Democrat and losing Republican candidate for state representative in 2004, as well as the election campaign of recently defeated Cicero Town President Ramiro Gonzalez, Loren-Maltese’s successor.
While the raid was primarily aimed at the Cicero office of M & M, all of the campaign contributions bear the address of 263 Driftwood Lane in Schaumburg, where the company is also registered with the Secretary of State’s Office. Michael A. Marcello is listed as the firm’s president. M & M was not accused of any wrong doing, but both Marcello and his brother James have just been indicted.
Labels: Berwyn, Betty Loren-Maltese, Cicero, Cicero Political Action Committee, M and M Amusements, Michael Woodward, Peter Giangreco, Ramiro Gonzalez, Rod Blagojevich
# posted by Cal Skinner : 12:05 PM
