Tim Novak
Watchdogs reporter
Tim Novak is an investigative reporter exposing government corruption in the state of Illinois, Cook County and the city of Chicago. His stories include a four-year investigation into a homicide that led to the appointment of a special prosecutor, resulting in Mayor Daley’s nephew pleading guilty to manslaughter in 2014. A six-month investigation in 2004 brought down Daley’s Hired Truck program, in which city agencies spent $40 million on private trucking companies owned by mobsters and politically connected insiders that were often paid to do nothing. The ensuing federal investigation ended with the indictments of 49 people, including 29 city employees.
Washington Federal Bank for Savings customers had no idea the high interest rates that attracted them were feeding the fraud. The bank’s “smooth operators” lured them in, the daughter of one victim says.
Still unknown is whether the Blue Island Democrat will be called to testify at the upcoming trial of his longtime ally, former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan.
Marek Matczuk, who said he did odd jobs for Washington Federal Bank for Savings and its employees, was given the money on orders of the late bank chief John F. Gembara.
Until a colleague spotted an announcement, John Sudduth was the full-time chief information officer for both the county Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and a nonprofit medical board.
Albert M. Friedman will get more than $16.5 million in rent and a $330,000 management fee under his four-year lease, obtained by the Sun-Times. Bally’s also must pay a property tax bill that’s topped $1.1 million a year.
Illinois Gaming Board officials won’t say whether they knew of the illegal operation when they gave Heidner a video gambling license.
William M. Mahon was a high-ranking City Hall official under three former mayors and had close ties to the Daley family’s political organization.
Over seven years, Janice Weston, who was senior vice president of the clout-heavy bank, ordered employees to fool federal regulators by backdating loan documents.
The agency OK’d Jeffrey Bertucci’s Steak N Egger in 2019 to operate video gaming devices, but officials say they hadn’t realized he testified in 2010 in a mob gambling case.