From The Chicago Sun-Times:

Judge orders Stanley to divulge financial interests

August 22, 2002

BY MIKE ROBINSON ASSOCIATED PRESS

A former lawmaker charged with making payoffs in an offshoot of the bribes-for-licenses scandal was ordered Thursday to tell the truth about his financial interests in Costa Rica or go to jail.

Roger Stanley, 59, a former Republican state representative, could have his bond revoked unless he tells the truth about his investments in the Central American nation, federal Judge Charles P. Kocoras warned.

"If I don't get a better level of explanation and honesty of responses I will do exactly that," Kocoras declared. But he rebuffed a move by prosecutors to have Stanley jailed immediately as a possible flight risk.

Stanley is charged with paying $130,000 in bribes over 15 years to Donald Udstuen, a former board member of the Chicago commuter railroad Metra, in return for $4 million in Metra contracts.

Prosecutors also say Stanley used payoffs, including junkets to Costa Rica, to get contracts to publicize the organ donor program administered by the secretary of state's office when Gov. George Ryan was secretary of state.

But Stanley is not charged with that. He has pleaded innocent to the charge of bribing Udstuen, a highly influential former lobbyist.

The charges against Stanley grew out of a four-year federal investigation of bribes paid in return for Illinois drivers licenses and related political corruption when Ryan was secretary of state. Ryan has not been charged with wrongdoing.

Ryan put Stanley on his secretary of state's payroll for six weeks in 1997, enabling him to get more time-in-service as a state employee and increase his state pension as a former lawmaker from $23,000 to $55,000.

Prosecutors on Thursday said Stanley has been cashing those state pension checks in Costa Rica where he owns an interest in the travel agency Costa Rican Ville Travel and Tourism Co.

Declaring they feared Stanley might flee to Costa Rica rather than face trial, prosecutors urged the judge to block the deposit of the pension checks in that country at the Casa del Cambio Villa Lobos bank.

Prosecutors disclosed last week that Stanley has some type of investment with the bank that pays 3 percent interest monthly, a sum which is regularly forwarded to the travel agency.

They also disclosed that Stanley has a girlfriend and a son in that country as well as a wife and two children in the United States.

The son was among several factors Stanley did not initially disclose in pre-trial interviews, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors also disclosed last week that they are investigating Stanley for possible witness intimidation for starting the procedure for firing an employee of his direct-mail firm.

Robert Doyle, 63, is not only an employee but also owns a partnership interest in the business. Prosecutors said Stanley moved to fire him after he discovered that Doyle had secretly tape recorded him in conversations that might be used as evidence if Stanley goes to trial.