Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

More trouble for Alexi

Posted in:

Illinois

I must’ve been out of town when AG Madigan had this to say about Alexi Giannoulias’ treasurer’s campaign.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan told reporters in early June she wasn’t sure whether she would sign onto his campaign.

“There have certainly been concerns that were raised during his campaign,” Lisa Madigan said then.

The southern Illinois swing of his ethanol tour went well, but not so much in Peoria, evidently.

Last week, Giannoulias made his first trip back to Peoria since the primary in a statewide tour marking his first news conference since the primary. And just to be sure, top-dog local Democrats came out to support him. Sen. George Shadid was there, as were state candidates Dave Koehler and Bill Spears. Unfortunately for Giannoulias, the TV news crews did not show, and his supporters simply mingled in the distance while he talked to the newspaper and a radio station. Giannoulias said he doesn’t know how rumors got started that the Dems weren’t supporting him wholeheartedly.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jun 26, 06 @ 8:07 am

Comments

So is Mad-Lite saying there are enough concerns to not merit a Chicago Democrat’s political endorsement but not enough to pursue an investigation by the State of Illinois Attorney General’s office?

Sure would like to see the evidence she used to make that determination.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jun 26, 06 @ 8:13 am
Not a surprise given that her father has made it a personal vendetta to pay back Giannoulias for embarrassing him by stomping the Speaker’s handpicked candidate for Treasurer in the primary.

Comment by Dem observer Monday, Jun 26, 06 @ 10:04 am
Maybe she is troubled by a young inexperienced Chicago Democratic candidate using somebody with proven political muscle to get elected to office, oops, strike that.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jun 26, 06 @ 2:00 pm
Hey Look Alexi Makes the FL news!

HOLLYWOOD PROPERTY | THE NEW PLAYERS
Boulis kin, 2 felons own Martha’s site
The Martha’s Restaurant property in Hollywood was bought by a nephew of SunCruz Casinos founder Gus Boulis and two felons.
BY PATRICK DANNER
pdanner@MiamiHerald.com

The company that bought the Martha’s Restaurant property includes a nephew of murdered SunCruz Casinos founder Gus Boulis and two felons — one with reputed mob ties.

Spiros Naos, Boulis’ nephew and part of SunCruz’s current ownership, said Thursday he is unwinding his 14-month-old business relationship with the Chicago-area criminals because of ‘’perception'’ issues.

‘’Any reasonable business person would do the same thing,'’ Naos said.

Naos’ partners, Michael Giorango and Demitri Stavropoulos, were convicted in 2004 for separate crimes.

Giorango, 53, a reputed organized-crime figure with the nickname ‘’Jaws,'’ is on probation after being found guilty by a Miami federal jury for promoting a prostitution ring. He also has a past conviction for illegal bookmaking.

Stavropoulos, 38, is serving the final days of a nearly 18-month sentence after pleading guilty to operating an illegal gambling business and filing a false tax return. He also had to forfeit more than $1 million.

The trio bought the Martha’s property in April 2005, even as prosecutors were building a case against other mob associates for the 2001 gangland-style killing of Boulis, founder of the floating-gambling empire.

Naos, 31, said he is ‘’sensitive'’ about whom he does business with but insisted he didn’t know the extent of Giorango and Stavropoulos’ criminal background when they bought the Martha’s property from Boulis’ estate for $6.2 million.

Naos said he originally was equal partners with Stavropoulos, whom he had met at a Greek wedding not long before the deal. Stavropoulos, in turn, split his stake with Giorango, Naos said.

Martha’s wasn’t their only business deal. Two months after the Martha’s sale closed, the three partners and SunCruz Chairman Robert Weisberg paid $4.5 million for marina property near Myrtle Beach, S.C., where a SunCruz vessel docks.

Naos said Giorango and Stavropoulos were ‘’transitioned out'’ of the South Carolina deal once Naos and Weisberg learned of the felons’ backgrounds. Nothing in South Carolina property records could be found to reflect the change, which Naos described as a confidential financial matter.

Efforts to reach Giorango and Stavropoulos through their lawyers were unsuccessful. Giorango has another South Florida tie: State corporate records show he is manager of 2601 Associates LLC, owner of Miami Beach’s Lorraine Hotel, one of the places where prosecutors alleged his prostitution ring operated.

While SunCruz’s parent company signed a 10-year lease for the South Carolina marina property, Naos said SunCruz has no involvement with the Martha’s property. In fact, the same month the property was sold, SunCruz pulled the plug on a gaming boat that docked behind the restaurant.

Both the Martha’s and South Carolina marina property purchases were financed by the same Chicago financial institution, Broadway Bank.

The $4.8 million loan for Martha’s, later increased by $1 million, and the $3.6 million loan on the marina property, among others, thrust Broadway Bank executive Alexi Giannoulias — the Democratic nominee for Illinois state treasurer — into the media spotlight earlier this year. Chicago-area newspapers wanted to know why the family-owned bank made loans to the felons.

While there was nothing improper about the loans, Broadway Bank would not make them again, said Giannoulias’ campaign spokesman, Scott Burnham.

Giannoulias ‘’is on the record saying that he didn’t know the extent of the legal problems of these two individuals,'’ Burnham said.

Giannoulias’ campaign returned a $5,000 contribution from Naos, but not because of Naos’ ties with Giorango and Stavropoulos, Burnham said.

Rather, Burnham said it was SunCruz’s connection with Jack Abramoff, who is embroiled in an influence-peddling investigation in Washington.

Abramoff, entrepreneur Adam Kidan and Ronald Reagan administration official Ben Waldman acquired SunCruz from Boulis for $147.5 million in September 2000.

Less than five months later, Boulis was murdered. Three men, a former advisor to Gambino family crime boss John Gotti and two mob wannabes, have been charged.

Comment by Mr. Anon Monday, Jun 26, 06 @ 3:57 pm
Rich Miller it seems to me that you have something against this guy,Alexi? The big reponse is who cares? Nobody cares about “so-called gangsters”.
Why don’t you focus instead on his opponents,Radagno and her husband,Vrdolak,Liz Gorman and her husband,Tom Walsh,Jim Durkin,Maureen Murphy,Mike and Lisa Madigan and the Lipinski’s? Rich you are losing a lot of credibility, and you are becoming what Mariotti is to the chicago athletes,your the Mariotti of Illinios politics and you are gonig to be the story and the only one who will lose will be you.
Do us all a favor, report honestly and fairly , or don’t report at all!

Comment by get a grip Rich Monday, Jun 26, 06 @ 4:11 pm
Mr. GAG (get a grip)
Pleeeeze.
Rich is a lot cuter that Marriotti, doesn’t need an afternoon cable show and loves Alexi to pieces.
What ya got on Nunzio & Co?

Comment by Mr. Anon Monday, Jun 26, 06 @ 4:22 pm
Alexi Giannoulias’ father died yesterday on a trip to Greece. He was the founder of Broadway Bank.

Let’s give him a pass for awhile.

Comment by Truthful James Monday, Jun 26, 06 @ 5:02 pm
Thank You Truthful James. Some people are just ruthless. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Alexi and his family.

Comment by Anon Monday, Jun 26, 06 @ 7:13 pm
Given her father’s ruthless attack on Alexi I don’t think Lisa’s non endorsement is all that newsworthy.

Comment by wndycty Tuesday, Jun 27, 06 @ 6:30 am
My guess is that both Madigans are not anxious for any other rising stars in the dem. party.
One could take this paranoia one step further and suggest that mjm knew good and well that his knox county guy would be a loser either in the primary or general but that was a-ok with him.
Remember, it’s all about lisa…

Comment by anon Tuesday, Jun 27, 06 @ 8:47 am