Thursday, April 30, 2009

Cook County corruption update: Dunnings bailed her busboy out of jail four times

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, the man who Barack Obama enthusiastically endorsed in 2006, hired his first cousin, Donna Dunnings, to serve as the county's chief financial officer.

Two weeks ago, Stroger fired "Cuz" after it was discovered that Dunnings twice bailed out a former busboy, Tony Cole, who was serving as her assistant. Stroger hired Cole after meeting him at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse--where Cole was working.

CBS 2 Chicago has more:

Cole was fired from his $61,000-a-year county job after County Board President Todd Stroger found out that Cole had failed to report a past felony conviction for writing bad checks.

Stroger forced Dunnings, who is his first cousin, out of her post after revelations about Cole, including that she bailed him out of jail twice.

But court documents Wednesday showed that Dunnings actually bailed Cole out four times, at a cost of $4,000 in aggregate. The bonds were $250, $1,750, $750 and $1,250, according to court documents.

Cole was in court Thursday on a charge that he violated an order of protection filed by a woman he allegedly attacked.

It's believed that Stroger knew about Cole's criminal past in December when he received a criminal background check, but the former University of Georgia basketball player wasn't fired until April--when Dunnings was unable to post a high bond for Cole.

It's stories like this that compels me to call Cook County government the worst in the nation.

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