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FBI Links Casino, Stephens, Mob20 July 2005CHICAGO -- As reported by the Chicago Tribune: "Days after lawmakers authorized the Emerald Casino's move to Rosemont in 1999, the suburb's longtime mayor, Donald Stephens, met with five high-ranking organized crime figures to discuss what control the mob would have over contracts at the casino, an FBI agent testified Monday. "...Testifying at a state hearing about whether to strip Emerald of its casino license, Mallul said agents learned of the May 29, 1999, meeting just days after it occurred from a longtime FBI informant who also was there. "'One topic of discussion,' Mallul read from an FBI report based on the confidential source's information, 'concerned a casino in Rosemont, Ill., and [organized crime] control of various contracts regarding its construction and operation.' "Reached at home Monday evening, Stephens blasted the allegations as scurrilous and called them the unconfirmed ramblings of an anonymous informant. "The mayor said the FBI never corroborated the information from the unnamed informant. Stephens also said he spent that Memorial Day weekend at his summer home in Lake Delavan, Wis., and has family members who can testify that he's telling the truth. "...The FBI accusation is the newest twist in the state's long-running case against Emerald, in which it seeks to revoke the gambling license once destined for Rosemont. For the first time, this claim would place the top mob leaders in behind-the-scenes planning for the casino..." |