Patrick Daley Thompson

Patrick Daley Thompson’s long rise and hard fall

Sneed: Former alderman, now imprisoned, for his whole life stuck to his ward, his roots and — most of all — his family.

By Michael Sneed

Patrick Daley Thompson leaves the Dirksen Federal Courthouse on Wednesday after being sentenced to four months in prison.

Patrick Daley Thompson sentenced to 4 months in federal prison

The sentencing capped a stunning, mad-dash of a federal court case that in 14 months cost Thompson his 11th Ward seat on the City Council, his law license and his freedom. It likely ended his political career and marred not only his reputation, but his famous family’s.

By Jon Seidel

Patrick Daley Thompson arrives at the Laborers Intl. Union Hall 3841 S. Halsted. Tuesday, April 7, 2015.

City Hall

Bridgeport bank president had worker falsely make it look like Patrick Daley Thompson made loan payments: plea

That worker, Alicia Mandujano, has become the first person to plead guilty as a result of the massive investigation that has swirled for years since the failure of Washington Federal Bank for Savings and the death of its president, John Gembara, both in 2017.

By Jon Seidel and Tim Novak

City Hall

Patrick Daley Thompson accountant says he found note that could undermine alderman’s defense

The revelation came at a hearing Monday as Thompson is scheduled to go to trial Feb. 4. But the judge raised concerns about moving forward amid the COVID surge.

By Jon Seidel

Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson says he opposes removing parts of Canaryville from his 11th ward as part of an effort to create city’s first Asian American ward.

Columnists

Patrick Daley Thompson labels move to create city’s first Asian American-majority ward ‘racism’

‘Dividing areas or neighborhoods based on race is indeed racism,’ the Chicago City Council member representing Bridgeport says in a letter to his ‘11th Ward family.’

By Mark Brown

The Watchdogs

Indicted alderman taps clout contractor on city-financed Bridgeport project as a character witness

Patrick Daley Thompson’s friend Michael Meagher is president of McHugh Construction, which is restoring the old Ramova Theatre with City Hall’s financial backing.

By Tim Novak and Robert Herguth

City Hall

Patrick Daley Thompson trial set for Feb. 1

The alderman is the highest-profile figure to face criminal charges in connection with the clout-heavy Washington Federal Bank for Savings in Bridgeport, which federal regulators shut down in 2017 over a massive fraud scheme.

By Jon Seidel

City Hall

Patrick Daley Thompson’s trial on hold

The case had been set to go to trial Monday, less than six months after a federal grand jury charged Thompson with filing false tax returns and lying to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. But late Tuesday, prosecutors filed an emergency motion to delay the trial over a medical issue.

By Jon Seidel

Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11th) is set to go on trial in two weeks.

City Hall

If Patrick Daley Thompson trial goes ahead, public won’t be allowed in courtroom

Instead, the Chicago alderman’s corruption trial would be streamed for the public in an overflow room due to COVID-19 protocols, a judge said Wednesday.

By Jon Seidel

The Watchdogs

Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson used same accounting firm that cleared Bridgeport bank before it failed

Defense attorneys in the alderman’s criminal case point to mistakes by the bank, the Bansley & Kiener accounting firm and even Thompson himself, writing that, “Mr. Thompson’s lack of organization and lack of attention to the details of his personal financial affairs are central to his defense.”

By Tim Novak and Jon Seidel

Crime

Feds seek delay in Daley Thompson case to sift through new documents

In a court filing Saturday, prosecutors claimed newly provided documents “were not disclosed in a timely manner” despite a grand jury subpoena served in December 2018.

By Tom Schuba

The Watchdogs

Feds say Patrick Daley Thompson lied, claimed he made payments on loans from failed Bridgeport bank

The new revelation came after Thompson’s defense attorney, Chris Gair, again blasted the feds’ prosecution of Thompson and pushed for a trial as soon as this fall.

By Jon Seidel and Tim Novak

News

Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson pleads not guilty to federal indictment during heated arraignment

Lawyers argued about whether Thompson must surrender his passport while awaiting trial. It’s a routine request, but his attorney called it “just punitive.” The judge gave Thompson a week to turn in his passport — and his FOID card.

By Jon Seidel

Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson repaid a past-due loan to a troubled Bridgeport bank after getting a loan from another Bridgeport bank — one that prosecutors say he didn’t sign any papers promising to pay back.

The Watchdogs

Facing foreclosure, Patrick Daley Thompson turned to clout’s piggy bank

He got $89,000 from Washington Federal Bank for Savings after another Bridgeport bank demanded he repay a loan that was nearly three years past due.

By Tim Novak

The Watchdogs

Patrick Daley Thompson indicted over loans from failed Bridgeport bank, declares innocence

The Bridgeport alderman, 51, who faces seven charges involving Washington Federal Bank for Savings, says: ‘I did not commit any crime, I am innocent, and I will prove it at trial.’

By Tim Novak and Jon Seidel