Heavyweight Former Federal Prosecutor Patrick Collins vs. DuPage County State's Attorney Bob Berlin

[LegalScholar]

Now Entering the Ring -- Heavyweight Former Federal Prosecutor Patrick Collins vs. Featherweight DuPage County State's Attorney Bob Berlin

Chicago attorney Patrick Collins, famous for leading the federal prosecution which placed former Illinois Governor George Ryan in an orange jumpsuit for racketeering and fraud, will be representing Arif Mahmood, a defendant charged with 37 counts for his alleged involvement in a scheme of stealing $150,000 from the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

Last November, the District's former director of its IT department, Mark McDonald, and the department manager, David Tepper, were each indicted with 140 felony counts, while Mahmood, who worked for Alamach Technology, Inc., an IT vendor for the District, was charged with 37 counts, in the alleged theft scheme.

Nearly two years after losing their Forest Preserve jobs and contract, ten months after their arrests and eight months after their indictments of 317 felony counts, the DuPage County State's Attorney's office still has not produced a bill of particulars -- the formal, detailed, written complaint of charges -- as required by law (725 ILCS 5/111-6).

DuPage County Judge Blanche Hill Fawell ordered on May 13th that the State produce a bill of particulars at the hearing scheduled for today at the Henry J. Hyde Judicial Office Facility of Wheaton. After a series of delays over months -- a flood, attorney vacations, attorney non-appearance, and the judge testifying in another criminal case -- DuPage County Asst. State's Attorney Ken Tatarelis requested more time...

For the rest of the story, go to:

http://countyleaks.blogspot.com/2013/07/now-entering-ring-heavyweight-former.html

[murielm99]

1. Should a Fawell be the judge in this case?

What is her relationship to Scott Fawell, who went to jail for five years, until he rolled on Ryan? Is she unbiased? I think any member of the Fawell family, given their ties to Ryan and their powerful status in the Illinois republican party, should disqualify themselves.

In Illinois, families run things in both parties. I still think that Blagojevich was retried and given a harsh sentence because he crossed the Madigan family. The politics in my state are Byzantine.

[LegalScholar]

2. Scotty

Blanche Hill Fawell is Scotty's sister-in-law, married to Jeffrey. The Fawell Family dynasty is best described in the following Chicago Magazine article from 2004 -- still a must read.

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/May-2004/The-Fawell-Affair/

You ask if a Fawell should be the judge in this case. Should anyone from this circuit preside over this case?

So far, the judge has been fair and smart. It says a lot about the DuPage County judiciary when the best you can hope for in a politically-driven trial is a Fawell.

[LegalScholar]

3. P.S.

Last edited Sun Jul 14, 2013, 05:50 PM - Edit history (1)

Patrick Collins led the team which put Judge Fawell's brother-in-law, Scotty, in prison.

[murielm99]

4. I grew up in West Chicago.

One of my brothers went to school with Scotty. We are well aware of the Fawells and their power. My dad and my father-in-law couldn't stand any of them.

[LegalScholar]

5. Then...

...you understand the significance of someone like Patrick Collins getting involved in a corruption case in DuPage County.

The more you read, you understand that the wrong people are being accused of corruption.

[murielm99]

6. The people being accused may or may not be corrupt.

They are being accused because they are in someone's way, someone powerful.

[LegalScholar]

7. Exactly.

Exactly.

They were in someone's way.