* As Carol Marin reports today, Chicago police officer Joseph A. Grillo was arrested by the FBI as he got off a plane from Las Vegas. Grillo was arrested and charged with mail fraud “in connection with an alleged towing scam.” Marin continues…

But the odd part of this June 5 arrest was what an FBI agent was overheard saying to Grillo as he was being led away.

According to a source who has every reason to know, the agent reportedly advised Grillo with words to this effect: “Give Ald. Banks up, and it will go a long way to helping you out.”

* The other side…

Ald. William J.P. Banks is one of the most powerful members of City Council. For almost 20 years, he has chaired the mighty Committee on Zoning, where very big decisions get made on very pricey developments. […]

The alderman is not charged with anything. But people who know him tell me he is fed up and furious with what he considers “guilt by association” questions coming at him lately thanks to a growing number of federal indictments of people with connections to his ward and to his family.

Last month, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald unveiled the second phase of Operation Crooked Code. An undercover mole, working as a bagman and wearing a wire, had been busy in the Zoning and Building departments, passing bribes from developers to city inspectors. Fifteen people were arrested, many of whom had deep connections to Banks and the 36th Ward Democratic Organization.

The most interesting guy picked up in that May sweep was the coolest of customers even when dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit. His name is Beny Garneata, a sleek-looking, silver-haired fortysomething developer from Lincolnwood. Like Joseph Grillo at O’Hare, Garneata got the full court federal press for his arrest, a less than subtle way of hammering him to start talking early and often.

When the G wants you, they do everything they can to get you. That doesn’t mean they do get you, but they have a whole lot of means at their disposal.

* Meanwhile, a commenter pointed out earlier this morning the goofiness behind this allegation of “pinstripe patronage” against Todd Stroger…

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger used a rare tie breaking vote to squeak a multi-million dollar deal through the county board. Turns out the firm [Chapman and Cutler] that drafted the deal has extensive ties to Stroger and his political organization. […]

In the last three years, the firm has given more than $35,000 to either Stroger, or the 8th ward. Commissioner Forrest Claypool, a Stroger critic says the deal is pinstripe-patronage.

Writes “wordslinger“…

Chapman and Cutler is one of the biggest and most respected bond counsel firms in the country. They actually do the work, as opposed to the many hangers-on who get a taste in public finance issues.

Believe me, there’s a lot of pay to play in muni finance, but they’re not the problem. Check out co-bond counsel, advisors and the lineup of bond firms for the pinstripe patronage. Also, there’s no reason any but the most complex bond issues needs to be a “negotiated” deal — put it out to bid to get rid of the pinstripe patronage.

Claypool knows this. Somebody should tell him you lose whatever “reform” credibility you might have when you knowingly make silly remarks.

* And this is pretty interesting…

Lake County [Indian] election officials heard allegations Tuesday a number of Illinois residents attempted to vote in last month’s Indiana primary election.

Raymond Lopez, chairman of the East Chicago and Whiting Republican organization, told the Lake County elections board, busloads of Illinois residents and downstate Indiana students who weren’t registered to vote in East Chicago or Whiting appeared at those communities’ polls, according to Republican election workers to whom he spoke.

“It was quite a few. They showed us Illinois driver’s licenses. We asked them why they were here and they said ‘We were told to vote here.’”

Lopez said none of them was admitted into voting booths. He didn’t indicate whether he was able to ascertain from where the individuals came or whom may have sent them. Elections Supervisor Michelle Fajman asked Lopez to put his complaints and others he made, in writing, so her staff can investigate.

Amazing that they didn’t ask Lopez who was allegedly busing these people into Lake County. You’d think that would be an important question.