Secret Tapes Helped Build Blagojevich Case

Washington Post: Corruption Case Ensnaring Illinois Gov. Began With Wired Grandmother

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Carrie Johnson and Kimberly Kindy

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The wide-ranging public corruption probe that led to the arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich got its first big break when a grandmother of six walked into a breakfast meeting with shakedown artists wearing an FBI wire.

Pamela Meyer Davis had been trying to win approval from a state health planning board for an expansion of Edward Hospital, the facility she runs in a Chicago suburb, but she realized that the only way to prevail was to retain a politically connected construction company and a specific investment house. Instead of succumbing to those demands, she went to the FBI and U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald in late 2003 and agreed to secretly record conversations about the project.

Her tapes led investigators down a twisted path of corruption that over five years has ensnared a collection of behind-the-scenes figures in Illinois government, including Joseph Cari Jr., a former Democratic National Committee member, and disgraced businessman Antoin Tony Rezko.

On Dec. 9, that path wound up at the governor's doorstep. Another set of wiretaps suggested that Blagojevich was seeking to capitalize on the chance to fill the Senate seat just vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Many of the developments in Operation Board Games never attracted national headlines. They involved expert tactics in which prosecutors used threats of prosecution or prison time to flip bit players in a tangle of elaborate schemes that Fitzgerald has called pay-to-play on steroids.

But now, Fitzgerald's patient strategy has led to uncomfortable questions not only for Blagojevich but also for the powerful players who privately negotiated with him, unaware that their conversations were being monitored. Democratic Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. faces queries about his interest in the Senate seat, and key players in the Obama presidential transition team -- White House Chief of Staff-designate Rahm Emanuel and adviser Valerie Jarrett -- are being asked about their contacts with the governor on the important appointment.

A defiant Blagojevich has vowed to fight the charges. But the cozy nature of Illinois politics and the state's infamous record of corruption in both political parties suggest that Operation Board Games is far from over.

"We have a lot of information gained from a number of interviews and investigation over the years," Fitzgerald told reporters Dec. 9. "This is a moment of truth for Illinois. We have times when people decry corruption, and yet here we have a situation where there appear to be wide-ranging schemes where people are seeking to make people pay contributions to get contracts or appointments or do other stuff."

The sweep of the case has been surprising even to Meyer Davis, the hospital chief executive. "When I went to the authorities five years ago, I had no idea of the extent of the corruption and how high it reached in Illinois," she told The Washington Post by e-mail. "It's appalling that leaders entrusted with regulating health care have continued to abuse that trust."

Hospital Shakedowns

Meyer Davis's hospital wasn't the only one with problems winning approvals from the state board that reviewed new projects for health-care facilities. The Chicago Medical School wanted a student housing project and found itself steered to the same construction and investment firms. Mercy Hospital faced similar obstacles. The board held up requests for open-heart surgical units and community clinics, and it seemed that a high price tag was attached to moving the board toward action.

At the center of the scheme was board member Stuart Levine, a prominent GOP fundraiser and businessman. Levine also courted Blagojevich, flying him to fundraisers in Texas and New York at which the governor collected more than $120,000 in campaign contributions. Levine held seats on the health facilities board and the teachers pension board, which controlled more than $41 billion in assets.

The conversations Meyer Davis helped record during her meeting at the Eggshell Cafe in suburban Deerfield allowed prosecutors to learn the tactics of Levine, who had cut deals with certain firms for a piece of their contracts.

Levine also had many connections. A telephone wiretap captured his discussions with Rezko, a fundraiser for Blagojevich and Obama, and several others who would become federal targets, according to lawyers who closely followed the trial testimony.

"Before they had Levine in the fold, they had his phone," said former public corruption prosecutor Patrick Collins. "They happened to get up on Levine's phone at a time when he was very active in his corrupt schemes."

Fitzgerald's office indicted Levine in 2005 on multiple fraud and extortion charges for his role in the state board schemes, securing along the way cooperation from the favored construction executive who had paid him kickbacks. But Levine's path to cooperation took 18 more months. Faced with wiretap recordings, Levine realized his legal situation was nearly hopeless, struck a plea bargain and became the star witness against Rezko.

"Levine was the guy who's given them everybody else," said Jay Stewart, executive director of the Chicago-based Better Government Association.

[jt_lancer]

Business as usual in Crook County. Illinois residents are proud of the levels of depravity and corruption that their elected officials reach. The last IL is serving jail time now; why not make it two in a row?

Way to pick ''em, voters.

[judyann915]

So why is this special investigative panel not reconvening until next Monday? What happened to them working very hard every single day except the 2 days for Christmas, and the 2 days for the New Year holiday? Seems like they are off more than they are working. Plus they don''t even work 8 hours per day on this. Looks like someone lied. I think this panel is a crock. Especially that guy with the white hair who keeps running his loud mouth, and the young punk snot young lady who told Mr. Genson about going back to law school. This panel is one big joke in my opinion. So is Lisa Madigan. She has her face plastered all over the TV because she wants to be Gov some day. Running on daddys coat tails. Insn''t daddy the one who lied about all of the days the panel would be working? Little Lisa doesn''t even use her married name. Why? Isn''t her married name good enough for her? I wish Little Lisa would do us all a big favor, and stay off of the TV already.

[daisyjingles]

This is a sideshow. I want to see the new administration tackle the tough issues. Many Americans now have hope for the first time since 9/11.

[daisyjingles]

At this point, why would we believe anything Governor Blagojevich said to Willie Brown or anybody else?

[majormike4]

George Stephanopoulos reported that Obama%u2019s investigation found Emanuel and Blagojevich had only one contact. However, in the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle, in legendary California Democrat Willie Brown%u2019s column %u201CWillie%u2019s World,%u201D he disclosed that Governor Blagojevich called him, and in their chat told him that he had %u201Cmany heated conversations%u201D with Rahm Emanuel. I have more and the links to both columns in my blog post: http://strongasanoxandnearlyassmart.blogspot.com/2008/12/obama-blagojevich-emanuel-cover-up.html

It would be great to have Willie Brown as a witness for the prosecution after Obama issues an investigation report whitewashing Emanuel and his staff. Willie Brown is on record saying that Blagojevich told him he had many contacts with Emanuel. That''s not what''s going to be in Obama''s report.

"It''s not the crime, it''s the cover up."

Fitzpatrick did not get Libby for "outing" a covert agent, Plame, because she wasn''t covert. He got Libby for an attempted cover up. Bye bye Rahm.

[nearl4511]

The funny thing is all of the phony shock and disgust that is being portrayed.

Many Republicans are gleeful that this has happened and are relishing it, much in the way that meny Democrats took joy in the recent issues for several Republicans that in fact contributed greatly to their demise in Congress.

Fact of the matter is, because Blago is Democrat is p i sses Democrats off even more.

Remember the hearings on the Dept of Justice firings with Gonzales? Many Republicans were more furious at the AG than the Dems. Dems were just exploiting the issue.

[nearl4511]

Sure I am bothered by this crime. Blago should be impeached.

Personal responsibility should be the rule for any representative. I don''t care what party.

[nearl4511]

Yeah. She thought "Democrats have an image problem" was pretty funny too.

Glad you caught onto that one, genius.

[nearl4511]

"Democrats have an image problem." Now that''s funny!

Repubs have an image problem too. The neocon idiots that post here (representing the Republican best and brightest) are even dumber than their spokesmen Limbaugh, etal.

Still waiting for those stellar plans to save the financial world from the free market side.

Now, I can go to bed laughing.

[rudy6543]

Posted by Speakinup21 at 11:30 PM

Don''t you have some boot-licking to do somewhere else?