eBay Scams Focus On Chicago

CHICAGO - Chicago has become a hub for huge Internet scams involving eBay, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times. As many as 300 victims from out of state have filed complaints about eBay-related fraud worth millions of dollars.

One person was arrested for allegedly scamming money from people who thought they were getting a second chance to buy items off eBay.

Another victim actually mailed $10,000 worth of jewelry to a fake Chicago address.

Investigators said some scam artists use drug addicts and immigrants to pick up money transfers from out of state.


Geneva Man Charged In Fraud

An incomplete pass-off of a Tom Brady rookie football card led to the Friday morning arrest of a rural Geneva man for what officials described as hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of mail and Internet theft.

Mark D. Hoggay, 49, of the 39W000 block of Burnham Lane, in the Mill Creek subdivision west of Geneva, was charged with two counts of felony theft of mail and two counts of felony Internet theft after an early morning raid on his house by the Kane County Sheriff's Department.

Hoggay was vice president in charge of human resources for New Breed Leasing, of Bolingbrook, a private company contracted by the U.S. Postal Service to clean and maintain mail transportation devices used at sorting centers, such as wheeled canvas carts and hampers.

It was from that connection that Hoggay had access to more than 10,000 pieces of mail that were involved the incident, said Sheriff Ken Ramsey.

"This involved a lot of jewelry to all kinds of collectibles, such as baseball cards," Ramsey said. "Because of Netflix, he had a lot of DVDs. It was well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Ramsey said there is not an exact figure yet on either how much was taken or the value of the items because his department is sorting through "thousands and thousands of pieces of evidence."

It was the sheriff's office, led by Detectives Kevin Williams, himself a candidate for sheriff in November, and Brian McCarty, which conducted the four-day investigation that led to the arrest. They acted on a tip from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which had been watching Hoggay since December 2005.

The Postal Service turned it over to the Sheriff's Department because Hoggay lived in Kane County and worked for a private company. Although the company was contracted by the U.S. Postal Service, Hoggay was not a Postal Service employee and therefore not subject to federal mail-handling laws, according to Dave M. Colen, a postal inspector and public information officer for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Carol Stream.

"This is the first time I've seen this kind of theft, by a contracted worker to the Postal Service," Colen said. "Most of the people at this company were honest."

The situation came to officials' attention in December 2005, when a customer of the online auction house eBay reported spending $709 for the Tom Brady rookie football card, but not getting it. Then he saw a card similar to the one he purchased for sale on eBay again, Colen said.

Colen said the routine for a company like New Breed Leasing, when servicing mail devices, is to first check if there is any mail accidentally left in the bins. When it is, the company is supposed to collect it, keep it and give it back to the Postal Service. He said the company collected it and put it in a locked room, but Hoggay had a key to the room.

"Regional sorting facilities handle millions and millions of pieces of mail by hand," he said. "Periodically, pieces get stuck." Ramsey said the reason the Sheriff's Department acted as quickly as it did was because there was an indication Hoggay was leaving his job with New Breed and preparing to move out of town.

Ramsey said anyone who feels they lost something valuable that was supposed to be sent to them should call the Sheriff's Department at (630) 232-6840 and ask for Williams or McCarty.

He said people will have "to be very, very specific" about any items they attempt to claim.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Chicago City Council Bans Restaurants from Serving Duck or Goose Liver

On the day Chicago's ban goes into effect, foie gras enthusiasts are fighting back with protests and a lawsuit.

The Illinois Restaurant Association filed a lawsuit today in Cook County. It says the Chicago City Council overstepped its authority in April when it voted to ban restaurants from serving the delicacy made of duck or goose liver.

Meanwhile, several Chicago restaurants that have never before served foie gras will offer the dish today in a one-day protest of the foie-gras ban.

The ban, which the city's Department of Law says will take effect today, prohibits the sale of foie gras in Chicago restaurants and other food-dispensing establishments.

The council banned foie gras after hearing from animal rights activists about the way the birds are force fed to make their livers bigger.

Opponents of the ban say any force feeding that's done is done legally in places like California and New York or up in Canada or in France.

They contend that under the state's constitution, the city of Chicago has authority to legislate "only with respect to its own problems."

And so, for one day only, diners will be able to order foie gras and beef tournedos Vesuvio style at Harry Caray's, soul-food-style foie gras at BJ's Market and Bakery and deep-dish foie-gras pizza at Connie's Pizza (but only at the pizza chain's Archer Avenue location).

"In support of our restaurant brethren, we want to showcase foie-gras pizza to demonstrate what our government is trying to dictate," says Ivan Matsunaga, executive vice president of Connie's Pizza and chairman of the Illinois Restaurant Association.

"We've never served foie gras in 20 years," says Grant DePorter, president of Harry Caray's restaurant. "But this ordinance is making Chicago into a national joke, at least in food circles. That's why we're doing it."

By Phil Vettel-Tribune restaurant critic
Published August 22, 2006
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Supervisor Denies Letting Worker Sleep On the Job

August 21, 2006

A manager in Chicago's Streets and Sanitation Department has been suspended from his job with the city, accused of allowing another worker to sleep on the job, Chicago officials said.

Shawn Bradley, superintendent of the Streets and Sanitation Department's 30th Ward operations, was issued a 30-day suspension late last month, department spokeswoman Rosa Calderon said.

Bradley is the brother of state Rep. Richard Bradley (D-Chicago), who also works in Streets and Sanitation as an assistant general superintendent.

Besides giving to his brother's campaign, Shawn Bradley has donated nearly $5,000 to the campaigns of Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30th) and to former 30th Ward Ald. Michael Wojcik, according to state records. Part of the 30th Ward is located in Richard Bradley's legislative district.

Shawn Bradley was disciplined for allegedly failing to supervise laborer Paul Davison, Calderon said. Bradley has worked for the city since September 1992 and makes more than $87,000 per year.

An investigation by the city's inspector general's office found that Davison "slept while on duty, typically two to three times a week," Calderon said. She said Davison occasionally arrived at work late but then allegedly edited his time sheets to reflect that he had shown up on time.

Bradley said the city inquiry started because of accusations by a disgruntled employee.

"An accusation was made that [Davison] was sleeping at work. That is absolutely not true," Bradley said. "There's nothing I did wrong or that I saw was wrong."

The city also suspended Davison for 30 days, Calderon said. Davison was hired in April 1994 as a laborer but was an acting refuse collection coordinator making $27.32 per hour.

Davison is serving his suspension. After Davison returns to work in September, Bradley will begin serving his suspension, Calderon said.

Bradley said that he has never been disciplined before and that the 30th Ward operations have been among the most productive in the city.

"No, I don't think I should have been suspended," he said. "At most, I should have gotten a warning."

A City Hall source said the inspector general's office recommended that Davison be fired, but city officials gave him 30 days off instead.

Davison has appealed his suspension to the Human Resources Board. He could not be reached for comment.

Law Department spokeswoman Jenny Hoyle said the city decided that Davison and Bradley should get the same punishment.

"Having consistent discipline for both employees was more legally defensible than firing one and only suspending the other," Hoyle said.

By Todd Lighty and Laurie Cohen
Tribune staff reporters

Chicagoans Pay Most For Gas Nationwide

By NBC5.com

CHICAGO -- Chicago has received a dubious honor that has much of the city moaning.

A Lundberg Survey of 7,000 gas stations across the U.S. shows gasoline prices have hit yet another record, and Chicago has the highest prices in the nation at $3.29 a gallon.

The national average is $3.03 a gallon, up $1.06 since July 21st.

The lowest price for regular was $2.82 in Charleston, S.C.

A gallon of mid-grade gasoline averages around $3.13 and premium averages $3.23.

With the country's gas prices so high, political candidates are trying to turn pain at the pump into smart politics.

Republican hopeful for governor, Judy Baar Topinka, wants to suspend part of the state sales tax on gas.

State Treasurer Topinka said if she's elected governor, she will push legislation requiring utilities to get some of their energy from renewable sources, such as wind generation.


She also proposes requiring all gasoline sold in Illinois to contain ethanol, the fuel additive made from corn.

"I pledge to be a governor who will lead by harnessing the incredible resources of our farmers and agriculture industry to make Illinois the national leader in clean energy," Topinka said in a statement.

Abercrombie & Fitch Fusses Over 'Foreigners'

People who work at this store, can I say this, are idiots. Why would any foreigner buy it and plan to resale it overseas. FYI, these "ugly" (open to anyone's interpretation) t-shirts were sold 1/10th of the price overseas, especially in Indonesia. I was laughing so hard after reading it. I wished these people knew that people from overseas are often smarter.

CHICAGO - Just in time for the back-to-school season, the already-controversial retailer, Abercrombie & Fitch, is in the spotlight again. The clothes she recently bought from Abercrombie left local shopper Lacy Lupi happy, but what she and her mother went through to get them left them furious.

"We get up there and we've got two huge piles, and they start taking sensors off. Next thing I know they start whispering and then the manager calls me over and says, 'We have to speak to you. We have a problem,'" said Lupi.

That problem? They were "over the limit" and wanted to buy too much.

"She said, 'We've had a problem with foreigners,''" Lupi recalled. "'And since we cannot discriminate against someone from another country, we decided to put a policy in place that prevents anyone from purchasing more than 20 items.'"

The Lupis had 23 items on the counter. They charged 20. Then because they complained, the store let them pay cash for the three that exceeded the limit.

"They basically told us that foreigners were coming in and purchasing a lot of items in bulk and then selling them overseas for three times as much," said Lupi.

Abercrombie says the policy "is intended to protect our brands from the resale of authentic merchandise at inflated prices through non-company owned stores and internet auction sites."

On eBay alone, there are thousands of Abercrombie listings for women's clothing.

"It just makes no sense to me," Lupi said.

Source: WMAQ-TV
August 14, 2006

Gut Wrenching Experience of Victim of Dog Attack

One of the scrariest things that can ever to your loved one. This kind of attack is usually random. It can happen anywhere and to anyone. It does not discriminate. That's why many city officials now are working to pass law which bans certain species of dogs to be considered as pets. If the law passed, those who keep them in their houses would violate law created to protect children who live in that surrounding area.

Listen and See Photos about what happened to this young kid.

Contributed by Chicago Tribune

Sears Tower To Go Disney?

CHICAGO - The Sears Tower Skydeck may be about to undergo a major makeover, according to a report on the Web site of Crain's Chicago Business. A firm founded by a Walt Disney Co. veteran is designing several new attractions, including a glass elevator ride with light effects and a multimedia theater, according to the report.

The theater is slated to include an exhilarating bit of trickery that peeks over the edge of the top of the building, looking down. The redesign would also include a tour of the building's mechanics.

Officials hope the redo will boost revenue, in part from a hike in ticket prices, the report stated.

The company, BRC Imagination Arts, also designed the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. Its clients include Disney.

Source: WMAQ-TV—Chicago, IL

City of Chicago Passes Law Protecting Immigrants

The Chicago City Council passed an ordinance March 29 that forbids police and other city employees from participating in the witch-hunt against undocumented immigrants that has been whipped up by the Republican far right.

Under the Sensenbrenner bill, HR 4437, passed in the federal House of Representatives on Dec. 16, and some other bills under consideration, to be in this country without authorization would be come a felony, and this would automatically allow state and local police to investigate or arrest a person.
These bills contain further language encouraging this and providing training for police in immigration enforcement.

In many towns and counties it is a regular practice for police to question people they have stopped, even for minor infractions, about their immigration status, and to deliver them to federal immigration authorities if they turn out to be undocumented.

Another bill, the CLEAR Act, would block certain federal funds from states and municipalities that don’t cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. And the REAL-ID act, passed and signed by President Bush last year, forces state departments of motor vehicles to authenticate documents presented by persons soliciting driver’s licenses for authenticity.

There is a lot of fear that such laws could lead, not only to suffering on the part of undocumented immigrants, but also to racial profiling and harassment of U.S. citizens and foreign visa holders who a policeman merely sees as appearing “foreign.” Undocumented immigrants who have reason to fear that their talking to police will lead to their arrest and deportation are also much less likely to cooperate with law enforcement in reporting crimes or giving evidence.

So the Chicago city ordinance, passed with little opposition two weeks after at least 300,000 people had marched for immigrants’ rights in the streets of the city, can be seen as an act of defiance against the anti-immigrant movement’s efforts to recruit police into their efforts.

According to Alderman Ed Burke, who is considered the “historian” of the Chicago City Council, this ordinance is nothing new. In 1850, Mayor James Curtis issued an executive order forbidding Chicago police from cooperating the federal Fugitive Slave Act which required authorities in Northern states which had abolished slavery to capture and return to their “owners” any escaped slaves found in their territories.

In 1985, Mayor Harold Washington issued another executive order, this one forbidding Chicago police and other officials from cooperating with the then INS in immigration enforcement actions. Washington did this partly because the Latino community asked him to. He had criticized federal authorities for questioning immigrants in Chicago who asked for city services.

Perhaps as revenge for the criticism, INS agents then stopped a high city official, Maria Cerda, in the hall outside her office and threatened to arrest her if she did not show them proof of U.S. citizenship. Cerda, then the head of the city’s office of job training, happened to be Puerto Rican and therefore a U.S. citizen from birth, and the indignation resulting from the agents’ action helped to unite the Mexican and Puerto Rican communities in the city. Alderman Billy Ocasio, who introduced the 2006 ordinance, is also Puerto Rican.

When Mayor Washington died in November 1987, Latinos and allies convinced his successors, Eugene Sawyer and Richard M. Daley, to keep the order in force. Over the years there has been slippage in enforcement, with many stories of Chicago police harassing immigrants by demanding to see their green cards. But the action by the City Council is a big step forward because a city ordinance has more teeth than an executive order.

Chicago is not the only city in the United States that has taken an official position in opposition to police enforcement of immigration laws. Such “sanctuary cities” include Portland, Ore., Denver, Colo., and Austin and Houston, Texas, to name a few. A 1996 federal law gives city employees who want to denounce possibly undocumented people to the federal government the right to do so in spite of city policies. There have been a number of lawsuits by anti-immigrant groups to try to end the sanctuary city movement; these have had mixed success.

Author: Emile Schepers
People's Weekly World Newspaper, 04/20/06