Ex-Streamwood representative might be able to keep pension
By Shamus Toomey Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted May 09, 2003

Former Streamwood state Rep. Roger Stanley, who in one year went from a behind-the-scenes state contract connoisseur to a major player in the Operation Safe Road scandal, pleaded guilty Thursday to passing bribes to snag $4 million in Metra contracts.

The GOP political consultant also admitted to more than doubling his state pension to $55,000 a year by exchanging free vacations and prostitutes for a 6-week state job, but prosecutors said he very well may be able to keep that ill-gotten boost regardless.

It's up to the state, not federal prosecutors, to revoke a pension. State officials say that's only done if there was on-the-job misconduct. Stanley was in the private sector when he gave Scott Fawell, the chief aide to then-Secretary of State George Ryan, the Costa Rican freebies and got the brief job that boosted his annual state legislator's pension up from $23,796.

Stanley's attorney argues that even though it was an illegitimate "make work" job, Stanley still performed the work.

State officials have declined recently to speculate if Stanley will keep his pension because he wasn't yet convicted. It's unclear if they will be able to rescind his state pension.

Federal prosecutors are still making him forfeit $67,000, but they're allowing him to pay it out of his pension.

Stanley's plea bargain is the latest twist in the federal licenses for bribes scandal. Stanley, whose suburban company produced negative campaign mailings for state politicians, has been giving information to federal investigators for months. Some of his help was used to convict Fawell in March.

Stanley's plea bargain is expected to net him 27 1/2 months in prison if he continues to cooperate. But defense attorney Michael Ettinger said don't expect Stanley's inside knowledge to "affect what the government is going to do with Gov. Ryan."

"That's my opinion, but I have no knowledge as to how far the government has gone in their investigation," Ettinger said. "He may be able to add some pieces here and there."

Stanley had no incriminating evidence to offer on Ryan, although "there were certainly questions asked about" Ryan, Ettinger said. Asked to be more specific, Ettinger said: "Name it. His whole relationship with George Ryan from when he first met him to the present."

Federal prosecutors declined to say who else is a target in their probe into corruption in Ryan's secretary of state office in the 1990s. The scandal has now led to 56 convictions. Ryan has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged.

Stanley, 60, now of Burr Ridge, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and money laundering conspiracy. He admitted to U.S. District Chief Judge Charles Kocoras that he passed $130,000 in bribes to former Metra board member Don Udstuen of Crystal Lake in exchange for Metra contracts to do everything from counting train riders to printing fliers.

Both Udstuen and the alleged middle man in the scheme, Stan Stewart, 60, of Oak Park, have pleaded guilty.

Asked if he was relieved to have the guilty plea behind him, an ailing Stanley didn't hesitate: "Absolutely," he said.

In new information released in plea bargain papers, Stanley admitted he once put a failed candidate from a southwest suburban state representative race into a no-show job on a real estate deal partly owned by Stanley. The job came at the request of an unnamed "Official One," who Ettinger said was not Ryan. In exchange for the job, Official One arranged for a state grant that benefited Stanley's real estate venture.

Stanley also admitted obstructing justice in Fawell's case by trying to cover up free vacations he gave Fawell. Stanley also admitted making payments to campaign officials who gave business to his company. One of those was Tim Holloway, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald. Holloway pleaded guilty to not paying taxes on the $81,000 he received. He was sentenced to probation March 18.

Stanley has been the most colorful character to date in the scandal. With his snow white pompadour and catchy nickname, "The Hog" first rumbled into the news last year when he was accused of providing the prostitutes and Costa Rican vacations to Fawell in exchange for contracts and the six-week pension-boosting job.

Stanley's appetite for state contracts kept the "Hog" nickname well fed for years in political circles. But testimony in Fawell's trial revealed it was really Stanley's physical and vocal resemblance to "Dukes of Hazzard" villain Boss Hogg that initially earned the nickname.

When prosecutors dug into Stanley's life, they also revealed he had secret business interests in Costa Rica as well as a son from a woman living in the Central American nation. He admitted Thursday that he lied to investigators about both.

Stanley and his wife are in divorce proceedings, but she was at his side Thursday and Ettinger said they are trying to reconcile. Stanley is fighting many medical problems including diabetes - which is exacerbated by his alcohol consumption, Ettinger said.

Ettinger said he will recommend Stanley serve his sentence at a Rochester, Minn., prison hospital.

"He wants to go in, get it over with, get out," Ettinger said. "Rochester may put some years on his life with no alcohol. He'll have no choice."

Stanley is scheduled to be formally sentenced Aug. 7.