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Pritzker names new Gaming Board chair and another member

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Illinois

* Press release…

Charles Schmadeke will serve on and chair the Illinois Gaming Board.* Schmadeke is a partner-in-charge of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP’s Springfield office. He has more than 25 years of litigation, mediation and administrative law experience and concentrates his practice representing business and governmental clients in litigation and mediation, including cases involving employment issues, civil rights defense, regulatory matters, and contract and tort claims. He has represented and counseled governmental clients on a wide variety of matters, including governance, organization and fiscal issues, civil rights, regulation enforcement and employment. Before joining Hinshaw & Culbertson in 2003, Schmadeke served in senior positions in Illinois state government. He was the General Counsel to the Illinois State Comptroller, where he advised the Comptroller on constitutional and statutory matters and fiscal affairs, and also conducted cases before the civil service board and handled litigation with cemeteries, funeral homes and other entities regulated by the Comptroller. He also worked 11 years for the Illinois Attorney General as Chief of the General Law Bureau, which represents all state agencies, state officers and state employees in federal and state litigation. In addition to supervising a staff of 21 attorneys and overseeing an active caseload of thousands of cases before federal and state courts and administrative tribunals, Schmadeke personally handled many cases including matters involving civil rights, professional regulation and employment issues.

Anthony Garcia will serve on the Illinois Gaming Board.* Since August 2013, Garcia has served as senior counsel for litigation and investigations at The Boeing Company where he manages litigation as well as supervises and conducts internal investigations implicating violations of the False Claims Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Anti-Kickback Statute and other statutes. Garcia previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois where he investigated and prosecuted violations of narcotics and weapons statutes, murder for hire, and fraud and export control statutes. Previously, Garcia spent seven years at the U.S. Department of Justice, five years as a trial attorney for the Office of International Affairs and Counterespionage Section and two years as an attaché in Mexico City, working closely with senior U.S. and Mexican officials to combat transnational crime. He also served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and as an Intelligence Analyst at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Garcia received his Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts in international studies from the University of Wyoming.

He’s been under pressure for weeks to get this done.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jul 29, 19 @ 2:51 pm

Comments

Why do I suspect the lawyer from Boeing is going to be tied up with work for a while.

Comment by OneMan Monday, Jul 29, 19 @ 2:57 pm
Schmadeke is a republican, no? He was very involved with Rauner, no?
Pritzger continues to make bad choices related to the agencies. How is this reflective of ideology of the people that elected him?

Comment by Repub Monday, Jul 29, 19 @ 3:07 pm
Great. Now they need to increase staffing. Retirees on contract can hit the ground running and be there long enough to get things into place.

Comment by Big Rock Monday, Jul 29, 19 @ 3:12 pm
Question. Why do we need lawyers to run the gaming commission.

Comment by Blue Dog Dem Monday, Jul 29, 19 @ 3:27 pm
A former ASA and a partner-in-charge at a well regarded law firm at the surface look like very good picks by Pritzker.

Comment by Chicagonk Monday, Jul 29, 19 @ 3:28 pm
From Tina Sfondeles’ Twitter feed:

“Pritzker named Charles Schmadeke to serve as gaming board chair. Schmadeke is partner-in-charge of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP’s Springfield office. It’s the same firm that Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan has paid $297,349 in legal fees so far this year. “

Comment by Steve Monday, Jul 29, 19 @ 3:46 pm
This appointment is rife with conflicts, but honey badger don’t give a…
From Hinshaw website…

Hinshaw’s Gaming practice attorneys help entities…Our team includes a former member of the Illinois Gaming Board, a former Administrator of the Illinois Gaming Board…As a result, we have both an intimate familiarity with the gaming industry…

Comment by Honeybadger Monday, Jul 29, 19 @ 3:51 pm
So he shouldn’t appoint Republicans? Only Democrats are qualified?

Comment by Illini fan Monday, Jul 29, 19 @ 3:54 pm
Springfield is a small town…still.

Comment by Dotnonymous Monday, Jul 29, 19 @ 3:55 pm
Not sure Schmadeke was involved in the Speaker’s stuff as partner in-charge of the Springfield office. Do the lawyers representing the Speaker work in the Chicago or Spfld? How many attorneys work for the firm? Has Schmadeke ever been mentioned in the Speaker’s case?

Making the Madigan connection is just spin. {Sigh}

But he did work for the IL Comptroller, as his bio mentions and obviously has the respect of Dan Hynes. Which would be a better explanation as to why he was selected.

Comment by {Sigh} Monday, Jul 29, 19 @ 4:16 pm
Appointees who presumably know nothing about the gaming industry but are high-powered and/or connected lawyers. And we wonder why regulatory boards are incompetent?

Comment by Collinsville Kevin Monday, Jul 29, 19 @ 6:40 pm
What it is guys

Comment by Aaron ollins/baby Monday, Jul 29, 19 @ 9:19 pm
Always preferred the Nevada model. Nevada Gaming Board Control Board and the Nevada Gaming Commission. Two independent entities.

Comment by Big Rock Monday, Jul 29, 19 @ 10:13 pm