Fast Eddie Has A Potty Mouth

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Nov 18, 2008 8:00PM

In court records unsealed recently, it seems that Edward "Fast Eddie" Vrdolyak was ultimately done in by "buddy" Stuart Levine, who taped conversations between he and Vrdolyak in 2006. And if that name sounds familiar, yes, it's the same Stuart Levine whose testimony was the crux of the case against one Mr. Tony Rezko. Vrdolyak just pled guilty a few weeks ago to the real estate kickback scheme of Rosalind Franklin University's sale of a Gold Coast building. In the taped conversations, Levine is described as, "pressing his old pal for his share of a bogus finder's fee." The Trib recounts this more succinctly than we ever could.

Levine, a board member at the school, tapped his friend Vrdolyak to find a buyer, Smithfield Properties Development.

Vrdolyak referred Levine to a undisclosed go-between, identified in court papers only as "Individual A," who would link Levine to Smithfield Properties.

Former Chicago Ald. William Singer has been identified as acting as a consultant in the real estate deal, however he has not been charged.

In the last conversation Levine taped, Vrdolyak is angry at Levine for going directly to Smithfield's negotiator for his cut and this is where Fast Eddie lets 'er rip: "Do you think he's not gonna tell anybody every [expletive] thing you said? If they come and see him? What, are you [expletive] nuts?" Hooray! Swear word Mad Libs!

Image of Edard Vrdolyak from his law firm's website