AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneMar 29, 2021 at 6:47 pmA Chicago-based marijuana cultivator and dispenser that has rapidly grown into one of the nation’s biggest pot firms is under federal investigation for possible pay-to-play violations during its push for coveted state licenses, sources said.Investigators have been scrutinizing campaign donations and other steps Green Thumb Industries took as it sought to secure growing and distribution licenses in Illinois and several other states, sources told the Chicago Tribune.AdvertisementNo charges have been filed as part of the investigation.A...…AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneMar 29, 2021 at 6:47 pmA Chicago-based marijuana cultivator and dispenser that has rapidly grown into one of the nation’s biggest pot firms is under federal investigation for possible pay-to-play violations during its push for coveted state licenses, sources said.Investigators have been scrutinizing campaign donations and other steps Green Thumb Industries took as it sought to secure growing and distribution licenses in Illinois and several other states, sources told the Chicago Tribune.AdvertisementNo charges have been filed as part of the investigation.A...WW…

AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneFeb 25, 2021 at 4:33 pmDeshawn Danzler isn’t accused of shooting anybody. In fact, he was a victim in a 2015 gang-related ambush that left him badly wounded and an innocent bystander dead, prosecutors say.But on Thursday, it was Danzler who faced the ire of a federal judge for refusing to tell a grand jury who shot him, even though he’d been granted immunity from prosecution.AdvertisementIn sentencing Danzler, 26, to roughly two years in prison for contempt of court — with time considered served — U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman said he had made a mockery of...…AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneFeb 25, 2021 at 4:33 pmDeshawn Danzler isn’t accused of shooting anybody. In fact, he was a victim in a 2015 gang-related ambush that left him badly wounded and an innocent bystander dead, prosecutors say.But on Thursday, it was Danzler who faced the ire of a federal judge for refusing to tell a grand jury who shot him, even though he’d been granted immunity from prosecution.AdvertisementIn sentencing Danzler, 26, to roughly two years in prison for contempt of court — with time considered served — U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman said he had made a mockery of...WW…

AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneFeb 22, 2021 at 2:01 pmBarring a last-minute change of heart from the White House, Chicago U.S. Attorney John Lausch will be stepping down from his high-profile post at end of the week despite a bipartisan push to keep him.Lausch, a 2017 Trump nominee who had also earned the support of Illinois’ top Democrats in Congress, was part of a clean sweep announced earlier this month giving him and other U.S. attorneys nominated by the previous administration until Feb. 28 to resign.AdvertisementLast week, Lausch held an officewide web meeting telling staffers that...…AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneFeb 22, 2021 at 2:01 pmBarring a last-minute change of heart from the White House, Chicago U.S. Attorney John Lausch will be stepping down from his high-profile post at end of the week despite a bipartisan push to keep him.Lausch, a 2017 Trump nominee who had also earned the support of Illinois’ top Democrats in Congress, was part of a clean sweep announced earlier this month giving him and other U.S. attorneys nominated by the previous administration until Feb. 28 to resign.AdvertisementLast week, Lausch held an officewide web meeting telling staffers that...WW…

AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneFeb 15, 2021 at 5:00 amOn a muggy morning in July 2018, Terronde Gordon and two friends were riding around in a hijacked Toyota Prius when they happened upon a husband and his pregnant wife in Bucktown getting ready to go to work.The crew stuck guns in the victims’ faces and forced the couple to lie on the ground before stealing their brand-new Land Rover, according to court records. Hours later, the crime spree ended at a South Side intersection when the joy riding trio crashed the stolen Prius into a medical van transporting a blind woman.AdvertisementNow,...…AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneFeb 15, 2021 at 5:00 amOn a muggy morning in July 2018, Terronde Gordon and two friends were riding around in a hijacked Toyota Prius when they happened upon a husband and his pregnant wife in Bucktown getting ready to go to work.The crew stuck guns in the victims’ faces and forced the couple to lie on the ground before stealing their brand-new Land Rover, according to court records. Hours later, the crime spree ended at a South Side intersection when the joy riding trio crashed the stolen Prius into a medical van transporting a blind woman.AdvertisementNow,...WW…

AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneFeb 09, 2021 at 4:26 pmIllinois’ two Democratic senators and several Republican congressmen were among a bipartisan chorus calling on President Joe Biden to reconsider removing Chicago’s top federal prosecutor so he can see through a range of ongoing corruption investigations that have roiled state politics.The reaction came Tuesday as the U.S. Justice Department said the Biden administration was seeking the resignations of virtually all remaining U.S. attorneys who were appointed by former Republican President Donald Trump — a group that includes John Lausch,...…AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneFeb 09, 2021 at 4:26 pmIllinois’ two Democratic senators and several Republican congressmen were among a bipartisan chorus calling on President Joe Biden to reconsider removing Chicago’s top federal prosecutor so he can see through a range of ongoing corruption investigations that have roiled state politics.The reaction came Tuesday as the U.S. Justice Department said the Biden administration was seeking the resignations of virtually all remaining U.S. attorneys who were appointed by former Republican President Donald Trump — a group that includes John Lausch,...WW…

AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneFeb 06, 2021 at 4:38 pmA Chicago man was killed and at least four other people were wounded in a shooting early Saturday at a hotel in west suburban Bloomingdale, where at least 100 people were partying on two separate floors with no security on staff, police said.The incident prompted the village to issue a statement that it has “begun the process of revoking all licenses for the hotel to operate” because of ongoing security concerns that officials say have not been properly addressed.AdvertisementOfficers responded about 2:35 a.m. to a report of shots fired...…AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneFeb 06, 2021 at 4:38 pmA Chicago man was killed and at least four other people were wounded in a shooting early Saturday at a hotel in west suburban Bloomingdale, where at least 100 people were partying on two separate floors with no security on staff, police said.The incident prompted the village to issue a statement that it has “begun the process of revoking all licenses for the hotel to operate” because of ongoing security concerns that officials say have not been properly addressed.AdvertisementOfficers responded about 2:35 a.m. to a report of shots fired...WW…

AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneJan 21, 2021 at 5:25 pmA south suburban man was ordered held without bond Thursday on federal charges alleging he left a message for a U.S. representative threatening to shoot up “terrorist” Democrats at the presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., this week.In deciding that Louis Capriotti was a danger to the community, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel Fuentes rejected the defense argument that the harm was minimized since there was no evidence Capriotti had any real plan to act on the threat.Advertisement“Threats hurt people,” Fuentes said at the end of a...…AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneJan 21, 2021 at 5:25 pmA south suburban man was ordered held without bond Thursday on federal charges alleging he left a message for a U.S. representative threatening to shoot up “terrorist” Democrats at the presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., this week.In deciding that Louis Capriotti was a danger to the community, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel Fuentes rejected the defense argument that the harm was minimized since there was no evidence Capriotti had any real plan to act on the threat.Advertisement“Threats hurt people,” Fuentes said at the end of a...WW…

AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneJan 13, 2021 at 5:57 pmA Chicago man was arrested Wednesday on federal charges alleging he participated in last week’s mob attack on the U.S. Capitol, posting a photo of the plaque outside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s ransacked office.Kevin Lyons, 40, of the Gladstone Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side, was charged in a criminal complaint in Washington with misdemeanor counts of knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Authorities said he also took phone videos while in...…AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneJan 13, 2021 at 5:57 pmA Chicago man was arrested Wednesday on federal charges alleging he participated in last week’s mob attack on the U.S. Capitol, posting a photo of the plaque outside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s ransacked office.Kevin Lyons, 40, of the Gladstone Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side, was charged in a criminal complaint in Washington with misdemeanor counts of knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Authorities said he also took phone videos while in...WW…

AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneJan 07, 2021 at 12:11 pmA Chicago-area businessman has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly obtaining more than $420,000 in small business loans through COVID-19 relief programs even though his company had no employees or ongoing operations.Carlos Smith, 56, of Park Forest, was charged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday with two counts of wire fraud, one count of making false statements to a financial institution, and one count of money laundering.AdvertisementSmith was scheduled to be arraigned on the charges in a telephone hearing on Jan. 14...…AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneJan 07, 2021 at 12:11 pmA Chicago-area businessman has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly obtaining more than $420,000 in small business loans through COVID-19 relief programs even though his company had no employees or ongoing operations.Carlos Smith, 56, of Park Forest, was charged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday with two counts of wire fraud, one count of making false statements to a financial institution, and one count of money laundering.AdvertisementSmith was scheduled to be arraigned on the charges in a telephone hearing on Jan. 14...WW…

AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneMar 31, 2021 at 4:29 pmFormer Illinois state Sen. Annazette Collins was indicted Wednesday on federal charges alleging she underreported income and failed to file federal income tax returns for her lobbying and consulting firm.Collins, 58, of Chicago, was charged in a five-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury with willfully filing a false individual income tax return, and failing to file corporate and individual income tax returns between 2014 and 2016.AdvertisementAn arraignment was set for Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso. The...…AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneMar 31, 2021 at 4:29 pmFormer Illinois state Sen. Annazette Collins was indicted Wednesday on federal charges alleging she underreported income and failed to file federal income tax returns for her lobbying and consulting firm.Collins, 58, of Chicago, was charged in a five-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury with willfully filing a false individual income tax return, and failing to file corporate and individual income tax returns between 2014 and 2016.AdvertisementAn arraignment was set for Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso. The...WW…