FBI Major Investigation - Operation Silver Shovel

Operation Silver Shovel was one of the most extensive corruption probes in Chicago history. In the end, corruption convictions were handed out to 18 individuals, six of whom were current or former city aldermen. Herbert L. Collins, former Special-Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division said about Operation Silver Shovel: "This investigation was initiated because of the concerns about public officials who were misusing their offices by permitting illegal landfills and other environmental misuses to occur." At its conclusion, Silver Shovel had uncovered everything from labor union corruption to drug trafficking and organized crime activity. Collins further stated that "the saddest aspect of this probe is that these activities represent an attack on the community by the very people who have been chosen as the leaders of the community."

At the heart of Operation Silver Shovel was an undercover operative named John Christopher. The government relied on Christopher's reputation as an insider to the Chicago construction business. Between 1992 and December 1995, Christopher, together with an undercover Agent, made more than 1,100 audio- or videotape recordings of meetings or telephone conversations of various targets of federal investigations. The tape recordings were used in investigations of undercover payments of bribes, undercover purchases of cocaine, and undercover money laundering of more than $2.2 million.

While assisting the government in Operation Silver Shovel, Christopher paid off city aldermen, the president of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, and two city inspectors. Among those convicted were aldermen Ambrosio Medrano (Alderman 25th Ward), Allan Streeter (Alderman 17th Ward), Jesse Evans (Alderman 21st Ward), Lawrence Bloom (Alderman 5th Ward), Virgil Jones (Alderman 15th Ward), and Percy Giles (Alderman 37th Ward). All were found guilty of extortion except Bloom, who pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns. Each man received a prison sentence and was ordered to pay restitution and/or a fine. Former Chicago Water Commissioner John Bolden was sentenced to one-year probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine, while Thomas Fuller, the former president of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, was given 37 months in prison and ordered to pay a $9,000 fine.

Christopher gained the trust of city officials to do business with him. They routinely accepted cash payments from either Christopher or an undercover Agent in exchange for helping obtain work for them. The following are examples of some of the interactions that occurred between Christopher, the undercover Agent, and those city officials indicted in Operation Silver Shovel:

A city commissioner accepted a cash bribe in exchange for placing the undercover Agent's company on the city's snow removal work list. In addition to accepting bribes, the city official allegedly concealed the fact that the undercover Agent's company was a sham Minority Business Enterprise (MBE). The official informed the Agent that his trucks needed to bear the name of a legitimate MBE company, as city inspectors were "watching" the project for compliance with MBE regulations.
An Alderman agreed to help the company find work, in return for a $10,000 contribution to his campaign. When Christopher said that many of the names of those "contributing" would belong to dead people, the city official replied, "the more dead the better." In January 1995, the official accepted the $10,000 contribution, along with a list of 15 fictitious contributors. That same day, Christopher's business was placed on the city's roster of minority snow removal contractors.
During a two and one-half year period, an Alderman accepted cash bribes totaling over $36,000 in exchange for using his political power to benefit Christopher and an undercover Agent. This official interceded with several elected officials to assist Christopher's company for favors such as: getting Christopher's company falsely certified by the city as a woman-owned contracting company so that it could receive woman- owned set-aside business; obtaining a city liquor license for a proposed liquor store site to be operated by the undercover Agent; and gaining the support of several city officials for their assistance for various projects operated by Christopher and the Agent's company.
Christopher and an Alderman met in a restaurant in 1993, during which time Christopher gave the official $3,000 in small bills and further discussed aspects of Christopher's business.
Christopher told the associate of a former city commissioner that he was willing to pay a percentage of the value of an excavation subcontract, in exchange for the official's influence in helping Christopher's company obtain the subcontract work. Christopher then paid the men many times during the next several months, once giving one of the men a cigarette pack containing $4,000.

United States Attorney Burns stated: "The message is simple: Public corruption undermines the integrity of the political process. If a public official is corrupt, [the U.S. Attorney's Office] will do everything in its power to bring that official to justice."

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