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in the news

Maynard Crossland
The manager of public affairs and development at the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency will take the helm when Susan Mogerman steps down.

Illinois Issues, May 24, 2002

Susan Mogerman
The director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency since 1990 announced she will step down at the end of the legislative session.

Illinois Issues, May 22, 2002

Mary Ann McMorrow
The Chicagoan will be the first woman to preside as chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court when she takes over for the retiring Moses Harrison.

Illinois Issues, May 16, 2002

Moses Harrison
The chief justice announced he will retire in September after nearly a decade on the Illinois Supreme Court. A former law partner of the retiring justice, Philip Rarick, will fill the seat.

Illinois Issues, May 15, 2002

Richard Newhouse Jr.
The former long-time state senator and assistant majority leader has died. The Chicago Democrat, the first black to run for Chicago mayor, was 78.

Illinois Issues, May 9, 2002

TOP

News May 2002

BONUS WEB COVERAGE
Scandal by the number

Click here to view a .pdf file of the Warner indictment.

Federal investigators continue to roll out indictments in their ongoing probe of corruption in the secretary of state’s office during now- Gov. George Ryan’s tenure.

Most recently, three men were charged with taking bribes in exchange for truck driving licenses. Frank Catanzarite Jr. of Palos Hills and John Nowak of Berwyn were employees of Watkins Motor Lines Inc. when, between 1997 and 1999, they allegedly took bribes of $500 to $2,000 to put unqualified drivers on the road. Also indicted was Peter Gregus, of Miami, Fla, who is charged with helping approximately 100 unqualified applicants, many of them Illinoisans, get truck driving licenses in Florida. According to the May 21 indictment, the men acted without the trucking company’s knowledge.

In separate indictments, federal authorities charged Lawrence Warner with rigging bids and accepting kickbacks for secretary of state contracts for such goods and services as vehicle registration validation stickers, computer systems and building leases.

Warner, a friend of the governor, held no position in the secretary of state’s office. Yet, according to the indictment, from January 1991 through January 1999, he attended office meetings and directed secretary of state personnel regarding agency operations.

Authorities say that between 1991 and 1998, Warner took in approximately $332,000 in personal profits from the sticker contract. They also allege that he used his influence within the department to rewrite bid specifications to ensure that the company he was extorting would retain the contract.

Prosecutors say that Warner used similar tactics with other vendors and steered lease contracts toward properties in which he had a financial interest.

According to investigators, Donald Udstuen, a former lobbyist for the Illinois State Medical Society shared in Warner’s profits and Alan Drazek, owner of American Management Resources, laundered payments to Udstuen.

Prosecutors allege that the schemes brought in $2.8 million dollars in payments from 1991 through 2002, and that as recently as April Drazek and Udstuen met to discuss falsifying tax documents.

Udstuen is cooperating with the investigation and is expected to plead guilty to tax fraud conspiracy.

Ryan, who is not named in the indictment and has not been charged with wrongdoing, defended Warner and Udstuen saying, “I’ve known [them] for 35 years. They’re friends, no question about it. And that would be all the more reason that I’d be outraged if I thought they were guilty of these charges.”

The investigation, dubbed Operation Safe Road, has been under way for four years.

* All figures as of Mid-May. The first indictment was issued in 1998.

Illinois Issues, May 24 , 2002