Wow, this has become quite the pattern in Chicago. A person associated with Chicago corruption commits suicide after federal prosecutors start investigating them. The latest victim is Phil Pagano, the long-time executive director of Metra, the suburban rail service for the Chicago area. He stepped down last month from his job after questions arose about how money had been spent by him without the Metra board's approval. This morning, Pagano stepped in front of a moving Metra train in Crystal Lake and was instantly killed. I previously blogged about the "suicides" of Orlando Jones, Chris Kelly and Michael Scott, all close friends of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.
UPDATE: Make that five potential suicide cases. A key witness in the perjury investigation of Sen. Roland Burris, John Ruff, who worked as a political consultant, died after his car suddenly veered off the road and into a tree last year. Ruff was considered a key witness in the investigation of whether a quid pro quo took place in the Burris appointment to Obama's old senate seat made by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich according to the Sun-Times. Ruff had supposedly been diagnosed with a brain tumor so that my explain the car accident.
At some $270,000/yr, I guess I just would have found a way to cope with being fired. Didn't sound like prison was in his near future. I pity the man who has those kinds of demons.
ReplyDeleteIt's creepy in all kinds of ways for me, though. When I work in the Chicago area, I use Crystal Lake as my base of operations because of the size of my territory, and have frequently taken the train from the Crystal Lake station into Ogilvie Station in Chicago. Unfortunately, I know the area well, and am an avid railfan, so that stretch of track is just going to be too morbid for me to contemplate.
Yes, he was receiving full pay while on unpaid leave during the investigation. They wanted to make sure he had plenty of time to hire a good lawyer.
ReplyDeleteThe corrupt mobsters and bandsters who have been robbing us blind are doing us a favor by choosing suicide. According to Joe Wiesenthal at the Business Insider, the "real" unemployment rate, which includes discouraged workers who aren't looking for work, is now at 17.1%.
ReplyDeleteHmmm just a thought are they really suicides? It's Chicago you know!
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