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Updated: Tuesday, 05 Oct 2010, 3:29 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 04 Oct 2010, 4:55 PM CDT
By Dane Placko, FOX Chicago News
Chicago - Todd Stroger's Deputy Chief of Staff, Carla Oglesby, was arrested on Monday afternoon and charged with theft of government property, money laundering and official misconduct.
The arrests are connected to the so-called "24-9" contracts allegedly handed out like candy by Oglesby at the Cook County Board President's office. Oglesby has been charged with theft of government property in excess of $100,000, which is a Class X Felony.
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LINK: STATE WON'T PAY '24-9' CONTRACTS
LINK: CARLA OGLESBY DEFENDS HERSELF
LINK: RAP PROMOTER'S $24,975 CONTRACT
LINK: OGLESBY STEERED CONTRACT TO OWN COMPANY
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Oglesby was taken into custody in a parking garage in the theater district and is being held on a $75,000 cash bond. Sources told FOX Chicago News she'll probably spend Monday night in a holding cell at Area Four Police Headquarters.
The charges are the result of an on-going investigation by the Cook County State's Attorney's Financial Crime and Public Corruption Unit. FOX Chicago News has been connecting the dots between Oglesby and more than a dozen "24-9" contracts for months. The contracts are called "24-9" because they are typically for about $24,900 -- just below the threshhold requiring Commissioners' approval.
On Monday, Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin said Oglesby's arrest might be just the beginning.
"I think that there's still other people that they're looking at and I would suspect this is not over," said Suffredin. "These contracts, as you reported, did not involve just one person signing things and walking it through. There are a number of other people who were involved."
In mid-March, the Cook County Department of Environmental Control gave a $24,995, no-bid contract to a company called Arrei Management to promote the awareness of composting. Their proposal was written by Tessa Anewishki -- an employee of CGC Communications, a company owned by Oglesby. CGC Communications employee Jennifer Johnson applied for Arrei's tax number.
On April 22, Oglesby signed eight contracts-- all for $24,995. The contracts were funded by a federal grant to promote census outreach, but the recipients are not the sort of community groups you'd expect. At least four of the contractors used the same attorney to incorporate their businesses and nearly all of the businesses didn't even exist until just days before the contracts were awarded.
Cook County also gave a $24,975 contract to a rap promoter named Terrell "Shorty Capone" Harris, ostensibly to promote composting. Harris is a friend of Oglesby and has used the same address and phone number as CGC communications. In July, Oglesby told FOX Chicago News that she wrote a letter in support of this contract.
"Clearly the qualification is that you have the ability to do community outreach," she said at the time. "And what person would be better than that than a person who has a television show, who has a radio show, who has several websites."