U.S. Attorney’s Office

Northern District of Illinois

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Former City of Chicago Alderman Charged With Using Money From Political Fund To Pay Personal Expenses

CHICAGO — A federal grand jury today indicted former City of Chicago Alderman RICARDO MUNOZ on fraud charges for allegedly using money from a political fund to pay personal expenses.

A 16-count indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago alleges that while serving as Alderman of the 22nd Ward in Chicago, Munoz used money from a political action committee formed by the Chicago Progressive Reform Caucus (CPRC) to pay a relative’s college tuition and other personal expenses, including jewelry, clothing, cell phones, vacations, sports tickets, and airline tickets. Munoz obtained the money through cash withdrawals and debit card charges from the CPRC’s bank account or by transferring funds from CPRC to another political fund he controlled – Citizens for Munoz (CFM) – and then on to his personal checking account, the indictment states. Munoz attempted to conceal the fraud scheme by making materially false representations to the Illinois State Board of Elections and staff members and contractors of the CPRC, the indictment states.

CPRC was a political organization whose voting membership consisted of certain Aldermen in the Chicago City Council. Munoz, who was a member of the City Council from 1993 to 2019, served as chairman of the CPRC and performed the duties of its treasurer. Public officials were prohibited by law from receiving payments from the CPRC for personal expenditures.

Munoz, 56, of Chicago, is charged with 15 counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Arraignment in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Morris Pasqual and Jared Hasten.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Each count of wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison, while the money laundering count carries a maximum sentence of ten years. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/former-city-chicago-alderman-charged-using-money-political-fund-pay-personal-expenses

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Northern District of Illinois

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Chicago Attorney Charged With False Statement and Tax Offenses in Connection With Funds Received From Failed Chicago Bank

CHICAGO — A Chicago attorney was indicted today on false statement and tax charges in connection with funds he received from Washington Federal Bank for Savings.

PATRICK D. THOMPSON, 51, is charged with five counts of willfully filing a false income tax return and two counts of knowingly making a false statement to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., according to an indictment returned in U.S. District in Chicago. Arraignment has not yet been scheduled.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jay N. Lerner, Inspector General of the FDIC’s Office of Inspector General; Tamera Cantu, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Catherine Huber, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Central Region of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General; Sally Luttrell, Assistant Inspector for Investigations of the Department of the Treasury, Office of Inspector General; Joseph M. Ferguson, City of Chicago Inspector General; and Kathryn B. Richards, Chicago Housing Authority Inspector General. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Netols, Michelle Petersen, Jeremy Daniel, and Nicholas Eichenseer.

According to the charges, Thompson from 2011 to 2014 received $219,000 from Chicago-based Washington Federal via a purported loan and other unsecured payments. He made one re-payment on the loan but then stopped making payments, and he failed to pay interest on the funds he received, the indictment states. Washington Federal was shut down in 2017 after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency determined it was insolvent and had at least $66 million in nonperforming loans. When the FDIC, as successor in interest to Washington Federal, attempted to obtain repayment from Thompson in 2018, he falsely stated that he owed only $110,000 and that those funds were for home improvement, when Thompson knew he had actually received $219,000 and that $110,000 of it was paid by the bank to a law firm as Thompson’s capital contribution, the indictment states.

The tax charges accuse Thompson of falsely representing on five years of income taxes that he paid interest on money he received from Washington Federal, even though he knew he did not pay interest in the amounts reported on the returns.

Ten other defendants, including several high-ranking former bank employees, were previously charged as part of the ongoing federal criminal investigation into the failure of Washington Federal.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each false statement count is punishable by a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison, while each tax count is punishable by up to three years. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/chicago-attorney-charged-false-statement-and-tax-offenses-connection-funds-received

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Northern District of Illinois

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Federal Judge Sentences Suburban Chicago Man to Nine Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing Numerous Firearms

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for illegally possessing a semi-automatic rifle and numerous semi-automatic handguns.

MARIO PRADO, 28, illegally possessed the firearms on Feb. 14, 2019, in his residence in South Elgin, Ill. Law enforcement on that date conducted a court-authorized search of the residence and discovered the rifle and eight handguns. Prado had previously been convicted of a felony firearm offense in the Circuit Court of Kane County and was not legally allowed to possess a firearm.

Prado pleaded guilty on Nov. 20, 2020, to a federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman imposed the nine-year sentence Monday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen deTineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Brendan F. Kelly, Director of the Illinois State Police. The government was represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Niranjan Emani.

Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Guardian and Project Safe Neighborhoods. In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the Guardian and PSN programs to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/federal-judge-sentences-suburban-chicago-man-nine-years-prison-illegally-possessing

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Delaware

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Wilmington Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Federal Prison For Receipt Of A Gun and Ammunition

WILMINGTON, Del. – A Wilmington man was sentenced on April 27 to 10 years in federal prison by the Honorable Colm F. Connolly, U.S. District Judge for the District of Delaware, for receipt of a firearm and ammunition with the intent that a felony would be committed with that firearm and ammunition. David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, made the announcement.

According to court documents, Angel Ortiz, 36, was arrested by the New Castle County Police Department on November 29, 2018, after he got out of a car during a traffic stop, ran away, and threw a loaded firearm. The firearm was recovered and found to be a Remington 1911 .45 caliber handgun with an extended magazine. Mr. Ortiz had previously been convicted of a felony offense and was not legally permitted to possess the Remington handgun.

U.S. Attorney Weiss stated, “Violent crime destroys neighborhoods. Together with our law enforcement partners, my Office is committed to doing all we can to get guns off our community’s streets and out of the hands of individuals who illegally possess them.”

“In our fight against violent crime, every gun taken off the street is a small victory, and every gun trafficker locked up is a big one," said Rachel Byrd, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. "The FBI and our partners are committed to working together across jurisdictions to take down the criminals wreaking such havoc in our communities.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The U.S. Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The case was investigated by the FBI-Baltimore Division’s Wilmington Resident Agency and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen McCartney and Laura Hatcher.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 19-3-CFC.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-de/pr/wilmington-man-sentenced-10-years-federal-prison-receipt-gun-and-ammunition

>>13544842

>>>13542838 US Grand Jury AddsWMDCharge Against Men Accused of Plan to Kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer

There are no coincidences

https://www.congress.gov/event/117th-congress/house-event/112537?s=5&r=2&overview=open#content

>>13545329

>43 House hearings next week

https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2020