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Indictment and trial
The first defendant to be found guilty was Harold Conn, Deputy Traffic Court Clerk in the Cook County judicial system. Conn was convicted in March 1984 and was one of the many bagmen in the ring of corruption.[7] The last conviction was that of Judge Thomas J. Maloney, who was indicted on bribery charges. Maloney was convicted and then sentenced in 1994 to 16 years for fixing three murder cases for more than $100,000 in bribes.[8] Maloney was released from federal prison in 2008, and died the same year.
A total of 93 people were indicted, including 17 judges, 48 lawyers, 10 deputy sheriffs, eight policemen, eight court officials, and state representative James DeLeo.[9][10] Of the 17 judges indicted, 15 were convicted.[5] One supervising judge, Richard LeFevour, was convicted on 59 counts of mail fraud, racketeering and income-tax violations, and was later sentenced to 12 years in prison, as well as being disbarred.[11] The stiffest sentence was received by former Circuit Judge Reginald Holzer, who received an 18-year sentence for accepting over $200,000 in bribes from multiple attorneys. Judge Holzer was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Scott Turow, who later became an acclaimed novelist.[12] DeLeo pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to probation, and was later elected to the Illinois Senate. Three subjects of the investigation committed suicide, including former Circuit Judge Allen Rosin. Rosin was taking bribes in divorce court in child custody cases and spousal property disputes.[13][14]
Aftermath
The systemic corruption led to the formation of the Special Commission on the Administration of Justice in Cook County, a group assembled in August 1984 to examine the problems of the Cook County courts. The group also issued recommendations that were designed to contribute to a period of reform in the courts. The commission, led by Jenner & Block attorney Jerold Solovy, wrote a total of 165 recommendations for the courts of Cook County.[15] Questions remain as to whether those changes achieved the cleanup which many citizens and advocates for better government desired.[10][16][17][18]
Operation Greylord also led to several similar investigations targeting corruption in Cook County, including Operations Silver Shovel, Incubator, Lantern, Gambat, and Safebet.[5] Operation Greylord also became known for its use of eavesdropping devices in order to obtain evidence for trial.
Most of the prosecutors have since left government service and joined large law firms, including Jenner & Block. One, Candace J. Fabri, became a judge in Cook County in 2006, and was recently rated "Well Qualified" by a local attorneys' group; only a former public defender received a higher rating.[19] Circuit Judge Thomas R. Fitzgerald, who cleaned up Traffic Court after the Greylord investigation, was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court, from which he retired in 2010.[20]
In 2009, an attorney for some of those convicted in the Greylord investigation requested that Governor Pat Quinn issue mass pardons, calling her clients rather than the taxpayers the real victims, but the governor did not grant that request before he was defeated for re-election in 2014.[21] In 2010 and 2014, respectively, two attorneys disbarred for unethical conduct disclosed in the Greylord investigation sought to regain their respective law licenses, but were denied; another attorney withdrew a similar application in 2003.[22]
In July 2016, Terrence Hake went on the Chicago talk radio program "Legal Eagles" to explain his role in Operation Greylord and the operation's aftermath. "Legal Eagles" was hosted by retired police officer William Pelarenos and broadcast on WCGO 1590AM.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Greylord