Sanchez on Trial
By Kevin Robinson in News on Mar 17, 2009 3:20PM
The prosecution rested its case against Al Sanchez on Monday, after calling patronage workers and Streets and Sanitation insiders to the stand, and former associates from city departments that testified that they helped rig city hiring procedures to steer HDO campaign workers into city jobs.
As the prosecution rested its case, jurors heard from Hugh Donlan, the city's personnel director in the electricity bureau. Donlan testified that Streets and San had no interest in applications that weren't politically connected, telling interviewers not to bother filling out ratings forms for people that weren't clouted. If someone did turn in a rating form for someone who wasn't connected, "I'd put it in the garbage," he said. Jurors also heard from Daniel Katalinic, a deputy commissioner who pleaded guilty to mail fraud in the Hired Trucks scandal. Katalinic was allegedly responsible for recruiting ethnic whites that weren't working with the HDO or other clouted organizations in the city.
As the defense prepares to put on its case, it's expected that they will try to tie much of the allegations against Sanchez back to Robert Sorich, Mayor Daley's former patronage chief who was convicted on similar corruption charges a few years back. And, perhaps most importantly, the Sun-Times is reporting this morning that Sanchez will take the stand in his own defense later today. Jurors may hear closing arguments by the end of this week.