Bandages And Waste

An illinois attorney has consented to disbarment as a result of a conviction summarized in the statement of charges

The Indictment alleged that Movant, while  serving as a Cook County Commissioner, engaged in an extortion scheme involving  his conduct in extorting a company to hire a minority subcontractor with whom  Movant had financial ties and which involved kickbacks from the sale of bandages  to Stroger Hospital and other public hospitals. He was also charged with taking  a $5,000 payoff in connection with the development of a waste transfer station  in Cicero, Illinois.

On July 1, 2013, Movant pled guilty, before the  Honorable Gary Feinerman, to Count Five of the Indictment, conspiracy to commit  extortion, in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. sec. 1951(a). In his plea agreement,  Movant admitted that between 2008 and 2011, he extorted an unnamed company,  which was awarded a contract to help improve Cook County Hospital’s revenue  cycle, into using his friend and co-defendant, Ron Garcia, and Garcia’s  business, Chicago Medical Equipment & Supply, Inc., as a minority subcontractor  in return for a $100,000 bribe. Garcia forgave a $100,000 mortgage loan he made  to Movant in exchange for Movant’s assistance in steering the sub-contract to  Garcia’s company. Movant later tried to disguise his receipt of the bribe by  claiming that he had repaid the purported loan and by producing false invoices  on his law office letterhead which falsely indicated that he had performed legal  work for one of Garcia’s companies. In pleading guilty, Movant also admitted to  the following conduct: that he also sought to obtain orders of Dermafill  bandages from Cook County in return for kickbacks; sought to obtain approval for  a waste-transfer station in return for kickbacks while a Town of Cicero  official; and evaded his federal income taxes between 2007 and 2010 by  misreporting the income from his law office.

He was sentenced to a 132 month term of imprisonment. (Mike Frisch)