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Second City? Second to none.
I picked a great town for being a writer. Today's headline in my favorite of the two major newspapers?
Alderman Tricked By Her Gang Lover
Alderman tricked by her gang lover
May 28, 2004
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
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Embattled Ald. Arenda Troutman (20th) has told associates she was searching for a long-term romance and thought a fugitive gang kingpin she believed was a legitimate businessman "might be the one" -- and now she feels "like she's been tricked."
The associate described Troutman as "scared to death, a nervous wreck" after being questioned about her love affair with Donnell "Scandalous" Jehan by federal investigators probing the Black Disciples street gang.
"She's divorced. She's been looking for a long-term relationship. She was in a search to find somebody or something. He just happened to be somebody she ran into. She thought at the time he might be the one," said a Troutman associate who has talked to the alderman about her relationship with Jehan.
"This is someone she met. They dated. He was someone she was seeing. Love has nothing to do with it. If she had feelings for the guy, they're long gone. ... She feels foolish -- almost like she's been tricked."
Two weeks ago, the feds wrapped up a six-year investigation of the Black Disciples with the arrest of 32 men. They were accused of presiding over a criminal empire that peddled up to $300,000 a day in cocaine and heroin and laundered the profits through legitimate investments, including real estate, construction and a recording studio.
The FBI has identified Jehan, who is now on the lam, as the No. 3 man in the Black Disciples. Also known as "Big Scan," he's accused of controlling drug sales in a turf that stretched from the Dan Ryan Expy. to Cottage Grove and from 61st to 71st.
Privately, Troutman has told associates the same thing she is saying publicly: that she had no clue Jehan was an alleged gang kingpin.
"I don't believe she knew this guy was the head of anything. She's got too much to lose. She's got those kids -- two of her own and one of her brother's kids," one source said.
Earlier this week, Troutman held a raucous news conference at her ward office that appeared to raise more questions than it answered about her relationship with Jehan.
She said she met with top gang members under the impression they were legitimate businessmen and accepted their help during aldermanic elections. But she refused to say whether her relationship with Jehan was strictly business.
The alderman insisted that two envelopes addressed to her from the Chicago Police Department may have ended up in Jehan's home because her office routinely recycles office materials. Asked whether Jehan has ever driven her Cadillac Escalade, Troutman said, "For years, I have let everybody drive my car."
Thursday, Troutman was scheduled to join Mayor Daley at a South Side news conference on an issue she has championed in the City Council: affordable housing. Instead, she was a no-show, leaving the mayor and her aldermanic colleagues to assess the political fallout from her relationship with Jehan.
Ald. Freddrenna Lyle (6th) called Troutman's news conference a political disaster -- and said she was foolish to hold it on the advice of her attorney. "I would not have done it.... I don't think there was any win in having the press conference -- and as it turned out, it wasn't."
Daley, who has crusaded against gangs, guns and drugs -- both as state's attorney and as mayor -- was reluctant to criticize Troutman, even though she's one of his aldermanic appointees. [Don't they mean he was relucatant to criticize her BECAUSE she's one of his appointees?]
"Today, drugs could unfortunately be in everyone's family.... Unfortunately, it is all over, and people better wake up to see it," Daley said, apparently referring, in part, to the arrest of Troutman's brother on drug charges this week.
Ald. Billy Ocasio (26th) said it's plausible that Troutman did not know about Jehan's alleged criminal actions.
"Even in my ward, I have a lot of people who say, 'I own this business.' Sometimes I question it. I say, 'Where does this money come from?' Sometimes you have to ask those questions," he said. "You have to call your [police] commanders and find out, 'Do you know anything about this?' The reason some of us are able to keep track of some of these things is because we meet with our commanders time and time again."
Alderman Tricked By Her Gang Lover
Alderman tricked by her gang lover
May 28, 2004
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
Advertisement
Orbitz
Embattled Ald. Arenda Troutman (20th) has told associates she was searching for a long-term romance and thought a fugitive gang kingpin she believed was a legitimate businessman "might be the one" -- and now she feels "like she's been tricked."
The associate described Troutman as "scared to death, a nervous wreck" after being questioned about her love affair with Donnell "Scandalous" Jehan by federal investigators probing the Black Disciples street gang.
"She's divorced. She's been looking for a long-term relationship. She was in a search to find somebody or something. He just happened to be somebody she ran into. She thought at the time he might be the one," said a Troutman associate who has talked to the alderman about her relationship with Jehan.
"This is someone she met. They dated. He was someone she was seeing. Love has nothing to do with it. If she had feelings for the guy, they're long gone. ... She feels foolish -- almost like she's been tricked."
Two weeks ago, the feds wrapped up a six-year investigation of the Black Disciples with the arrest of 32 men. They were accused of presiding over a criminal empire that peddled up to $300,000 a day in cocaine and heroin and laundered the profits through legitimate investments, including real estate, construction and a recording studio.
The FBI has identified Jehan, who is now on the lam, as the No. 3 man in the Black Disciples. Also known as "Big Scan," he's accused of controlling drug sales in a turf that stretched from the Dan Ryan Expy. to Cottage Grove and from 61st to 71st.
Privately, Troutman has told associates the same thing she is saying publicly: that she had no clue Jehan was an alleged gang kingpin.
"I don't believe she knew this guy was the head of anything. She's got too much to lose. She's got those kids -- two of her own and one of her brother's kids," one source said.
Earlier this week, Troutman held a raucous news conference at her ward office that appeared to raise more questions than it answered about her relationship with Jehan.
She said she met with top gang members under the impression they were legitimate businessmen and accepted their help during aldermanic elections. But she refused to say whether her relationship with Jehan was strictly business.
The alderman insisted that two envelopes addressed to her from the Chicago Police Department may have ended up in Jehan's home because her office routinely recycles office materials. Asked whether Jehan has ever driven her Cadillac Escalade, Troutman said, "For years, I have let everybody drive my car."
Thursday, Troutman was scheduled to join Mayor Daley at a South Side news conference on an issue she has championed in the City Council: affordable housing. Instead, she was a no-show, leaving the mayor and her aldermanic colleagues to assess the political fallout from her relationship with Jehan.
Ald. Freddrenna Lyle (6th) called Troutman's news conference a political disaster -- and said she was foolish to hold it on the advice of her attorney. "I would not have done it.... I don't think there was any win in having the press conference -- and as it turned out, it wasn't."
Daley, who has crusaded against gangs, guns and drugs -- both as state's attorney and as mayor -- was reluctant to criticize Troutman, even though she's one of his aldermanic appointees. [Don't they mean he was relucatant to criticize her BECAUSE she's one of his appointees?]
"Today, drugs could unfortunately be in everyone's family.... Unfortunately, it is all over, and people better wake up to see it," Daley said, apparently referring, in part, to the arrest of Troutman's brother on drug charges this week.
Ald. Billy Ocasio (26th) said it's plausible that Troutman did not know about Jehan's alleged criminal actions.
"Even in my ward, I have a lot of people who say, 'I own this business.' Sometimes I question it. I say, 'Where does this money come from?' Sometimes you have to ask those questions," he said. "You have to call your [police] commanders and find out, 'Do you know anything about this?' The reason some of us are able to keep track of some of these things is because we meet with our commanders time and time again."
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Hey, do you know where I can read more about the voter roll problems in this town?
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