Chicago
ranks as the most corrupt city in the United States, according to long-term
reports by the analyzing Department of Justice data.
- Federal Convictions: The Northern District of Illinois (which covers the Chicago metro
area) recorded nearly 1,800 public corruption convictions between 1976 and
2019.
- Top Rankings: Chicago consistently leads the nation in total federal corruption
convictions, staying ahead of major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles
(second) and New York City (third).
- Contributing Factors: Studies attribute the city's high rates to historical machine
politics, localized aldermanic privilege, and misuse of public funds
In the early 1900’s,
corruption was rampant in Chicago, and the Everleigh club played a prominent
role
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everleigh_Club
Reform of the political
system was attempted during its early years, but a noted Chicago politician famously
said “Chicago ain’t ready for reform.
During the reign
of Al Capone, the corruption in Chicago spread west to Cicero.
https://www.bettergov.org/2013/10/27/cicero-capones-long-gone-but-not-corruption/
One of the entertaining subplots on “Boardwalk Empire” this
season is the fact-based depiction of infamous mob boss Al Capone’s reign of
terror in west suburban Cicero, where “Scarface” set up temporary headquarters
in the mid-20s to escape the heat of Chicago’s one-term reform mayor.
The highly acclaimed HBO series reminds us that Al and
his brother Frank hijacked Cicero’s 1924 municipal election with enough threats,
intimidation and actual violence to make sure their candidate won, which
guaranteed them a safe haven as they expanded their organized crimes.
Capone went to prison for tax evasion in 1931, but the mob
continued to exert influence on Cicero and its wanton politics for decades
after that.
One recent town president, Betty Loren-Maltese, widow of
mid-level mobster and municipal official Frank Maltese, went to jail for her
role in a mobbed-up multi-million-dollar insurance scam.
Her successor, Ramiro Gonzalez, promised reform and
then put a dozen relatives on the payroll.
And his successor, current President Larry Dominick, made
the same pledge and then one-upped Gonzalez by hiring 20 relatives, angering
the town’s large Latino population with ethnic slurs, paying out several
hundred thousand tax dollars to settle sexual-harassment lawsuits, and hiring a
corrupt ex-Chicago alderman to manage the town’s special events.
The hiring of Ambrosio Medrano, who may be Chicago’s most
corrupt alderman, with three felony convictions in three separate scams, made
me wonder why the residents of Cicero put up with this nonsense — why, for
instance, Dominick’s been elected three times by comfortable margins.
I asked Betty Loren-Maltese, who’s out of prison and still
maintaining her innocence as she watches Cicero, talks to old political friends
and blogs on the goings-on.
Here’s her explanation, via email:
“I believe the system of expanded services, perks and
employment rewards isn’t a government function but a government-funded voter bribery
system designed to keep 10 percent of the population under control.
“Cicero has about 90,000 residents, but with low voter
turnout it only takes about 6,000 votes to win, which is generally 3,000
families.
“Between the town, high school, college, park district and
grammar school there are approximately 2,000 jobs and tens of millions in
government contracts.
The bribery that was found in Cicero has now spread to
national elections.
Trump, hoping to salvage midterms, makes a dubious pledge to give every US adult $5,000 if GOP wins
Speaking at the RNC midterm convention in Dallas,
Texas, Trump pledged to award Americans with $5,000 if Republicans end up
performing well in the midterms and maintain their congressional majority. And,
while he’s promised Americans cash in the past — none of which ever materialized —
Trump’s explicit promise to award Americans for electing Republicans, some
critics said, may run afoul of federal law.
The primary legal threat is 18 U.S.C. § 600, which
criminalizes promising government benefits made possible by Congress as a
reward for supporting a political party,” wrote Thomas Logan, a U.S.-Asia
relations specialist and strategist, in a social media post on X.
“Tying the money to GOP control fits § 600 far more
closely than a standard tax-cut pledge. Vote-buying statutes like 18 U.S.C. § 597 and 52 U.S.C. § 10307(c) also
apply. While defenders would argue this is a policy platform rather than a
bribe, the explicit transaction creates real legal risk.”
Political writer Mona Burns
called Trump’s promise an outright “bribe,” noting that violation of 18
U.S. Code § 597 is “punishable by fine or imprisonment of not more than one
year,” and political scientist Danny Krikorian argued that the president’s
pledge opened a “legitimate” legal question.
President Donald Trump pledged
Wednesday to send every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of
the House and Senate in the midterm elections, an extraordinary gambit to
reverse his party's sagging fortunes in
November.
The dubious promise would most likely cost more than
$1 trillion and require congressional approval, and would further exacerbate
the country’s nearly $1.8 trillion annual budget deficit and concerns about
inflation.
“Trump explicitly tied a massive cash benefit to
Republican electoral victory. That creates a legitimate §600 question,”
Krikorian wrote Thursday in a social media post on X.
“Trump’s wording pushes unusually close to the
conceptual boundary of vote buying. Current Supreme Court precedent makes a
criminal vote-buying case difficult but not impossible. The legal line
becomes much clearer if payment is conditioned on voting Republican, voting at
all, proving how someone voted, or otherwise providing partisan support.”
The $5000 payment
is not the first time that Trump has promised to send money to voters. None of
those promises, naturally, have not been kept – and nether will this one.
Unlike Chicago,
the United States IS ready for reform, but it won’t happen until after the
midterms.
As it stands now,
though, Trump is the MOST corrupt president our country has ever had.
Some ethics watchdogs describe the Trump presidency as one of the
most corrupt presidencies in American history. Analysts frequently point to
thousands of documented conflicts of interest connected to Trump businesses
while he held the White House.
During
his time in office, Donald Trump continued to benefit financially from outside
income tied to the Trump Organization. Estimates suggest more than $1.6 billion
in revenue flowed through those business interests during the years of the
administration.
Critics
argued these relationships raised potential concerns about the Constitution's
emoluments clause and whether foreign governments or special interests could
influence policy. The administration was also marked by nepotism and unusually
close ties between public office and private business.
As of
2026, Trump is the only U.S. president ever criminally indicted, facing dozens
of felony charges tied to activities during and between his presidential terms.
Many scholars place the Trump administration alongside other historically
notorious cases of presidential corruption.
Although it is
unlikely that the Republicans will win in the midterms, none of us are going to
get $5000 checks – and that is a good
thing.
