Cicero lost $12.3 million, Irs agent tells court
Cicero lost $12.3 million, IRS agent tells court By Matt O’Connor The indictment charges that at least $10 million was looted from town coffers with the aid of Town President Betty Loren-Maltese and former town officials Emil Schullo and Joseph DeChicio. Since May, the three town officials have been on trial in U.S. District Court along with reputed Cicero mob boss Michael Spano Sr. and his son Michael Jr.; business partner John LaGiglio and his wife, Bonnie; and attorney Charles Schneider. In other testimony Monday, Sally J. Kopke, a certified public accountant, said that in 1996 she assisted attorney Arthur Nasser, her brother-in-law, in trying to prepare tax returns for Specialty Risk Consultants. In one meeting, Kopke said, Schneider told Nasser to “try to keep Betty [Loren-Maltese] away from this as far as possible.” On cross-examination, however, Kopke said she was never instructed to falsify anything. U.S. District Senior Judge John Grady barred Kopke from testifying about what she said were remarks by Nasser as they pored over Specialty Risk records. Outside the jury’s presence, Kopke quoted Nasser as saying that John LaGiglio was “just too greedy.” Copyright � 2002, Chicago Tribune |