Operation Greylord
Encyclopedia
Operation Greylord was an investigation conducted jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division
into corruption
in the judiciary
of Cook County, Illinois
(the Chicago
region). The FBI named the investigation "Operation Greylord" after the curly wigs worn by British judges.
's chambers
occurred in the undercover phase, when the narcotics court chambers of Judge Wayne Olson were bugged. In order to acquire evidence of corruption, agents obtained special court authorization to present a false court case in the bugged court. The first defendant to be found guilty was Harold Conn, the Deputy Traffic Court Clerk in the Cook County judicial system. Conn was convicted in March 1984 and was the bagman in the ring of corruption. The last conviction was that of Judge Thomas J. Maloney
, who was indicted in 1991 on bribery charges and convicted in April 1993 of fixing three murder cases for more than $100,000 in bribes. Maloney was released from federal prison in 2008, and died the same year. A total of 92 people were indicted, including 17 judges, 48 lawyers, ten deputy sheriff
s, eight policemen, eight court officials, and state legislator James DeLeo
. Out of the 17 judges indicted in the trials, 15 were convicted. One judge, Richard LeFevour, was convicted on 59 counts of mail fraud, racketeering and income-tax violations, getting 12 years in prison. Ten years after the undercover case concluded, the historical investigations, prosecutions and trials concluded in 1994.
, Incubator, Lantern, Gambat, and Safebet. Operation Greylord was also a turning point in the use eavesdropping devices in order to obtain evidence for trial.
Daniel Reidy and Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA) Charles Sklarsky, Scott Lassar, Scott Mendeloff and Candace J. Fabri led many of the prosecutions. Three United States Attorneys, Thomas P. Sullivan
, Dan K. Webb
and Anton R. Valukas
, supervised the investigations and prosecutions. Valukus and AUSA James Schweitzer indicted 22 corrupt court personnel, along with the judge, who presided over the corruption and the courtroom, in one 1985 indictment.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division
IRS Criminal Investigation Division
Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation investigates potential criminal violations of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and related financial crimes in a manner intended to foster confidence in the tax system and compliance with the law...
into corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
in the judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
of Cook County, Illinois
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
(the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
region). The FBI named the investigation "Operation Greylord" after the curly wigs worn by British judges.
The Operation
The 3 1/2-year undercover operation took place in the 1980s. The first listening device ever placed in a judgeJudge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
's chambers
Chambers (law)
A judge's chambers, often just called his or her chambers, is the office of a judge.Chambers may also refer to the type of courtroom where motions related to matter of procedure are heard.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :...
occurred in the undercover phase, when the narcotics court chambers of Judge Wayne Olson were bugged. In order to acquire evidence of corruption, agents obtained special court authorization to present a false court case in the bugged court. The first defendant to be found guilty was Harold Conn, the Deputy Traffic Court Clerk in the Cook County judicial system. Conn was convicted in March 1984 and was the bagman in the ring of corruption. The last conviction was that of Judge Thomas J. Maloney
Thomas J. Maloney (judge)
Thomas J. Maloney was a corrupt judge in Cook County, Illinois who served from 1977 till his retirement in 1990. Since 1981, the court was being investigated by the FBI in Operation Greylord, and he was eventually convicted on four counts of accepting bribes...
, who was indicted in 1991 on bribery charges and convicted in April 1993 of fixing three murder cases for more than $100,000 in bribes. Maloney was released from federal prison in 2008, and died the same year. A total of 92 people were indicted, including 17 judges, 48 lawyers, ten deputy sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
s, eight policemen, eight court officials, and state legislator James DeLeo
James DeLeo
James A. DeLeo was a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 10th district since 1992, and is an Assistant Majority Leader. Earlier he served in the Illinois House of Representatives. He announced his retirement from the State Senate in 2010, and left office in August 2010....
. Out of the 17 judges indicted in the trials, 15 were convicted. One judge, Richard LeFevour, was convicted on 59 counts of mail fraud, racketeering and income-tax violations, getting 12 years in prison. Ten years after the undercover case concluded, the historical investigations, prosecutions and trials concluded in 1994.
Aftermath
This ring of corruption lead to the formation of the Special Commission on the Administration of Justice in Cook County, a group assembled in August 1984 to examine the problems of the Cook County courts. The group also issued recommendations that were designed to contribute to a period of reform in the courts. The Commission wrote a total of 165 recommendations for the courts of Cook County. Operation Greylord lead to many other similar investigations targeting corruption in Cook County including Operation Silver ShovelOperation Silver Shovel
Operation Silver Shovel was a major United States Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into political corruption in Chicago during the 1990s...
, Incubator, Lantern, Gambat, and Safebet. Operation Greylord was also a turning point in the use eavesdropping devices in order to obtain evidence for trial.
FBI Investigation
The key undercover FBI agents and lawyers were David Grossman, David Reis and Terrence Hake. Hake was a Cook County prosecutor, who complained about the bribery and corruption in the Murder and Sexual Assault preliminary hearing courtroom in Chicago. The FBI and United States Attorneys Office learned of his complaint and recruited him to pose as a corrupt prosecutor and later as a bribe-paying criminal defense attorney. While playing the role of a corrupt prosecutor, Hake supplied the evidentiary probable cause to bug Judge Olson's chambers. Lamar Jordan, David Benscoter, Marie Dyson, William C. Megary, and Robert Farmer were the principal FBI case agents and supervisors during the investigation. Cook County Judge Thaddeus Kowalski was important in the case due to his cooperation with authorities even though he knew his cooperation might endanger his career.Prosecutors
First Assistant United States AttorneyUnited States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
Daniel Reidy and Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA) Charles Sklarsky, Scott Lassar, Scott Mendeloff and Candace J. Fabri led many of the prosecutions. Three United States Attorneys, Thomas P. Sullivan
Thomas P. Sullivan
Thomas P. Sullivan is a prominent Illinois attorney known for his involvement in notable constitutional cases, investigations, and contributions to public policy and law. He is a partner at the Jenner & Block law firm.-Biography:...
, Dan K. Webb
Dan K. Webb
Dan K. Webb is an Illinois attorney known for his involvement in high-profile litigation cases and his connections to former Illinois governor Gov. James R. Thompson. He is the chairman of the Winston & Strawn law firm and is the former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois....
and Anton R. Valukas
Anton R. Valukas
Anton R. Valukas was the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois from 1985 to 1989. In 2007, he became the chairman of Chicago law firm Jenner & Block, in which capacity he gained notoriety in 2009, when he was appointed bankruptcy examiner in the bankruptcy of Lehman...
, supervised the investigations and prosecutions. Valukus and AUSA James Schweitzer indicted 22 corrupt court personnel, along with the judge, who presided over the corruption and the courtroom, in one 1985 indictment.