Those who wish to understand how things work in Chicago need only read a single article that ties everything together: Teamsters boss indicted on charges of extorting $100,000 from a local business.
A politically connected Teamsters union boss was indicted Wednesday on federal charges alleging he extorted $100,000 in cash from a local business.
John Coli Sr., considered one the union’s most powerful figures nationally, was charged with threatening work stoppages and other labor unrest unless he was given cash payoffs of $25,000 every three months by the undisclosed business.
The alleged extortion occurred when Coli was president of Teamsters Joint Council 25, a labor organization that represents more than 100,000 workers in the Chicago area and northwest Indiana.
Coli, 57, an early backer of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, was charged with one count of attempted extortion and five counts of demanding and accepting prohibited payment as a union official.
Coli could not be reached for comment, but a statement posted Wednesday on the Teamsters Local 727 website announced he planned to retire at the end of the month after 46 years in the union.
In the statement, Coli said he had decided it was time “to begin a new chapter” and that he wanted to spend more time with his family.
The Coli family has been active in politics for years and is well-known for spreading around union cash to various candidates. Coli and his relatives have also been accused in civil lawsuits in both state and federal court of running the union like a racket — accusations they have vehemently denied.
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5 comments:
Every extortionist wants to "spend more time with his/ her family" rather than spending time in a Federal Penitentiary.
Funny how simply quitting your job when caught gets you that...
So Coli joined the teamster union at the age of 11! Gee I wonder what kind of work an 11 year old was doing for the union in 1971 and what his wages and dues were? Was not that a violation of child labor laws for an 11 year old to be working, much less did the union allow 11 year olds to join back in 1971?
Headlines should say Democrats and unions destroy Chicago.
Reminds me of stories I read about the wild west in the 1800's!
Teamster has always been corrupt, why is it still allowed to function?
Even the best unions get corrupted in the long run. Too much money for so few people to resist.
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