Hired Truck: First Guilty Plea Entered

By vouchey in News on Mar 10, 2005 1:26PM

Martin McDonagh, a 38-year-old Irish immigrant, was so nervous when he entered his guilty plea in federal court yesterday, that he couldn't remember his own age. As the Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune reports today, out of the 27 people indicted, McDonagh is the first plea in the investigation, although attorneys for Angelo Torres, the one-time Hired Truck operator, announced that he intends to plea guilty.

McDonagh is, for all intents and purposes, small fry in the big game. Looking to enter into the city's Hired Truck Program in 2003, he asked Torres if he could apply, and Torres told him applications were closed. Then, John "Quarters" Boyle interceded, and told McDonagh that if he gave his application and $1,500 to Nick "The Stick" LoCoco, he'd get in the program. McDonagh got into Hired Truck, and then paid Boyle $35,000 in bribes to keep the Hired Truck business from the city.

As we've reviewed before, LoCoco is in no danger of charges because he's dead. Although Torres seems to smell the coffee here, and will give up soon, the real question is what kind of information will he supply to the federal prosecutors? In addition, Boyle is a well-connected political operative, with ties throughout Northwest Chicago political operations, could he be induced to make a plea? And what does he know?

Things are only sure to get hotter.