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Nick Giannis, the owner and operator of the Chicago-based Boston Blackie's restaurant chain, was arrested at the international border in Detroit last month--he was fleeing felony theft charges. Giannis, his son, and a Boston Blackie's manager are accused of participating in a check-kiting scheme that defrauded two banks of almost $2 million.Nick Giannis was a customer of Broadway Bank, although the charges against him had nothing to to with the bank owned by the family of Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias. The senior Giannis had donated $120,000 to Alexi's campaigns, which have since donated to charity.
The bad press for Giannoulias just might have gone away on this story. Until Giannis' lawyer opened his mouth.
Giannis' attorney, Thomas Anthony Durkin, argued that the alleged theft was nothing more than a financial dispute between Giannis and the banks and that the matters were being litigated in civil court. He decried the decision to charge Giannis -- a supporter of U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias who has done business with Broadway Bank and Trust, Giannoulias' family-owned bank - as politically motivated, though he did not elaborate.Durkin's name rang a bill with me. He was, and perhaps may still be, an attorney for Dr. Paul Ray, who in 2007 was the head of the Stroger Hospital Urology Department. I tried to ascertain if Ray is still in charge of the department, but Stroger, which is a tax-supported hospital run by Cook County, won't let Cook County residents such as myself, or anyone else for that matter, view the hospital's directory.
"That's the big elephant in the room," Durkin told Portman. "I submit to you that...the real reason we are here is because of Broadway Bank and the candidacy of Alexi Giannoulias. Let's not kid ourselves about why we're here."
Stroger is located in Chicago, home of Barack "Transparency" Obama.
Back to Ray. He's a former business partner of convicted felon, Obama and Rod Blagojevich fundraiser, and onetime Broadway Bank customer Tony Rezko.
Ray has not been accused of any crimes.
But as the Chicago media (the national MSM didn't care) began to question Obama's Rezko ties in 2007, the Chosen One's campaign began donating Rezko-tied cash to charity. Ray's cash was dispensed of in June of that year.
Isn't Illinois politics amazing? Just peel away--think of a foil-covered Easter bunny--and you find Rezko and Obama.
And of the thousands of lawyers in Chicago, Giannis chose Durkin.
Another Chicago coincidence.
Related posts:
Another "Blackie" eye for Giannoulias
Obama donates more Rezko tainted contributions to charity
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