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Community Corner

Conspiracy by MPEA employees and board members results in stealing $100 Million of taxpayer assets

Conspiracy by MPEA employees and board members results in stealing $100 Million of taxpayer assets and diverting $1 Billion in revenue to Navy Pier Inc., a bogus non-profit run by former patronage workers employed at MPEA.

Blagoyevich is sitting in jail for 14 years and didn't really get much money for personal gain.

Reboot Illinois claims that the $53 Million stolen by former municipal worker, Rita Crundwell in Dixon Illinois is the largest embezzlement in US History. Crundwell received a 20 year prison sentence. The City of Dixon filed a lawsuit against the City auditors to recover most of the funds.  

Here is a link to the full story:
http://www.rebootillinois.com/Opinion/reboot-editorial-partner/corruption/miracle-in-reagan-s-hometown-stolen-40-million-recovered-11901?utm_source=email&utm_medium=mdietrich&utm_campaign=2/7/2014

There is currently an investigation (based upon a complaint filed by Corruption Busters) by Valarie Hays (former US Attorney) at Schiff Hardin as MPEA Ethics Enforcer to investigate improprieties that have resulted in waste of taxpayer funds and a revolving door contract between Jim Reilly (former Trustee, now CEO of MPEA) and Renee Benjamin for consulting services at $180 per hour. 

Benjamin "retired" as General Counsel on Dec. 31, 2010 and immediately began consulting on Jan. 1, 2011, while collecting her $8,000 per month retirement. In fact, Benjamin never moved from her desk, phone, email or computer. 

To boot, she composed and negotiated her consulting agreement for personal gain while still employed and executed the Agreement with Reilly on November 15, 2010!
The only problem was, Benjamin began invoicing MPEA in December, 2010, fully outside the scope of her consulting agreement and prior to her termination as General Counsel.

Read carefully the itemized billing below for 12/18/2010 researching the applicability of FOIA and OMA for Navy Pier NFP (Not for Profit) directly after hiring Shefsky & Froelich on 12/1/2010 to provide $17,000 of research on this topic. (see previously published articles below in this blog).

Also note that the consulting work provided by Benjamin is not within the scope of services under her consulting agreement.
Of course, this "internal, independent" investigation by Hays as Ethics Enforcer is being funded by taxpayer dollars since Schiff Hardin was hired by the MPEA General Counsel. This is certainly not independent by any definition.

So, in Illinois, if stealing merely $53 Million gets a 20 year prison term, what is the punishment for stealing $1.1 Billion? 

Recovery of taxpayer funds can be collected from MPEA and Navy Pier Inc.'s auditors and board members, as well as from the employees who conspired to illegally obtain these funds.

We encourage Hays to contact her friends at the US Attorney's office to investigate the "Steal of the Century".

http://corruptionbusters24x7x365.blogspot.com/

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