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| Abandoned home in Vrdolyak's old ward |
Wash, rinse, repeat.
It's the second time for this guy, and he's a big deal, the former boss of the Cook County Regular Democratic Organization, otherwise known as "the Machine," Fast Eddie Vrdolyak.
From ABC Chicago:
Former Chicago Alderman Edward R. Vrdolyak has been indicted on charges of income tax evasion impeding the IRS.More...
Vrdolyak was revealed in court to be "Individual A" in a federal indictment that accused a Chicago attorney, Daniel Soso, of evading nearly $800,000 in income taxes.
Vrdolyak pleaded guilty to fraud in 2008 for his role in a million-and-a-half dollar real estate kickback scheme. He served a 10-month sentence in a federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., with former Ill. Gov. George Ryan.The onetime 10th Ward alderman later switched to the Republican Party and he contributed to the destruction of the GOP in suburban Cook County, where it was once a potent political force. Do you wonder why Illinois isn't trending red like Wisconsin and Michigan? Fast Eddie is one of the reasons. All but hardened leftists will agree that the Land of Lincoln would be in better shape if it had a functioning two-party system.
In different times, Vrdolyak was known as a deal-maker. Nicknamed "Fast Eddie," he mounted two failed bids for mayor but may be most well known in city politics for leading opposition against then-Mayor Harold Washington in the racially-charged "Council Wars" of the 1980s.
His law firm, the Vrdolyak Group, a personal injury firm, regularly runs ads on local AM radio and Vrdolyak Group billboards are common sights in Chicago, despite Fast Eddie's notoriety and criminal history.
Chicagoans are a shameless lot, they get the government they deserve.
Vrdolyak is 78--even crooked pols slow down with age.
On average, a sitting or former Chicago alderman is indicted every 18 months.
Chicago is rotten to the core.
ReplyDeletehe took good care or his ward always helped ppl out
ReplyDeleteLeave him alone just as they did Hillary.
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea the good things he did for his Ward's residents, the city has not been the same since he and other aldermen from back in the day left!!!
ReplyDeleteVrdolyak's conviction and this indictment are from that part of his career after he left the City Council. But just because a person performs some good deeds that does not give him the right to commit crimes. Here's a fair quote about Vrdolyak.
ReplyDelete"'He also said, no matter when you're talking, always talk as if you were talking on tape. And I can't believe it. He didn't follow his own advice,' said Ald. Bernard Stone, 50th Ward."
Does that sound like Stone was talking about an honest man?