Laski + Briatta + Hired Trucks = Indictments

By Amy Hart in News on Jan 27, 2006 4:25PM

It’s been a while since we talked about City Clerk James Laski’s involvement in the Hired Truck scandal. We’re sorry about that, but we were too busy trying to learn keno to write an update. And what a waste of time that turned out to be.

So what’s been going on with Laski? Well, he vowed to stay on as City Clerk after being charged with taking bribes from trucking companies and lying to a federal grand jury on January 13. When he returned to work after a prolonged absence on January 18, Laski wore an electronic monitoring device and had his four bodyguards taken away. Last week Laski denied that he was AWOL from his office, but his former bodyguards beg to differ. Earlier this week Laski said he would keep on keepin' on and fight the charges against him. Just yesterday Laski was formally indicted, along with Hired Truck scandal veteran John Briatta, the brother-in-law of Cook County Commissioner John Daley, and two other city workers.*

Got all that? The only things we have to say about all of this is “Go Cubs!” and that if you are going to pat down your friends to see if they are wearing a wire, you are either doing something wrong, or you need to get new friends.

*For those of you keeping score at home, 42 people have now been charged in the Hired Truck investigation.