Illinois corruption update: "Fast Eddie" Vrdolyak to plead guilty

He was called "Fast Eddie" for a lot of reasons, one of them is that no one ever thought the law would catch up to Ed Vrdolyak. But like a star athlete battling Father Time, age must have slowed down the former chairman of the Chicago Machine, formally known as the Cook County Regular Democratic Organization.

Fast Eddie was caught.

Vrdolyak, 71, is best known outside Illinois for his leadership of the white-ethnic bloc that opposed Chicago's first black mayor, Harold Washington. The onetime Chicago alderman became a Republican in 1990. Later he served as an advisor to the crooked mayor of Cicero, Betty Loren-Maltese. The disgraced "Al Capone wing" of the GOP ran the show there.

Did I mention that Illinois, particularly Cook County, is corrupt?

Vrdolyak will file a guilty plea.

CBS 2 Chicago has more:

U.S. District Judge Milton Shadur apologized to jurors for calling them in Monday. But he said Vrdolyak changed his mind just on Saturday.

Meanwhile, prosecutors revealed revised charges in a superseding information, which usually means the defendant is pleading guilty.

Vrdolyak was facing bribery, wire fraud and mail fraud charges stemming from the $15 million sale of a Gold Coast property belonging to the former Chicago Medical School. (My note: Actually it was the Scholl College of Podiatry that was sold.)

Vrdolyak, a former 10th Ward alderman who was known as "Fast Eddie" for his wheeling and dealing ways, had faced bribery, wire fraud and mail fraud charges. The case prosecutors have brought against him involves what prosecutors describe as a single scheme: the $15 million sale of a Gold Coast property belonging to the former Chicago Medical School. Prosecutors say Vrdolyak agreed to split a $1.5 million kickback with Stuart Levine, a board member for the school who'd agreed to persuade the board to sell the building to Smithfield Properties. Smithfield, in turn, agreed to pay Vrdolyak a 10 percent fee, or $1.5 million, according to prosecutors.

Illinois' governor, Democrat Rod Blagojevich, once was an attorney with Vrdolyak's personal injury law firm. "Blago" is under federal investigation in regards to his alleged role in the Tony Rezko "pay to play" scandals. He also was a campaign aide for Vrdolyak's unsuccessful 1987 mayoral run.

Related posts:

Rezko trial: Levine on two legendary Chicago aldermen

Rezko trial: Star witness says he paid bribes to Vrdolyak

Vote McCain: Because you don't turn America over to a Cook County hack

Technorati tags: politics Illinois Chicago Tony Rezko Blagojevich real estate crime corruption Harold Washington Vrdolyak