>> YOU'RE WELCOME.
>> AND NOW PARIS, WE TOSS IT
BACK TO YOU.
>> THANKS, BRANDIS.
PUBLIC CORRUPTION, GUN VIOLENCE,
FINANCIAL CRIMES, HOME-GROWN
TERRORISM, THESE ARE JUST A
SELECTION OF THE CASES BROUGHT
IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS BY THE
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
HIGHLIGHTED BY A MAJOR BRIBERY
CASE INVOLVING COM-ED AND
IMPLICATING MICHAEL MADIGAN.
THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH ACTIVITY
OUT OF THAT OFFICE THAT
ILLINOIS' TWO U.S. SENATORS
INTERVENE TO KEEP CURRENT U.S.
ATTORNEY JOHN LAUSCH ON THE JOB
DESPITE THE CHANGE IN
PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION.
JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT ALL
THESE BIG CASES AND MORE IS JOHN
LAUSCH, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
ED
ADS ONE EXAMPLE WE CHARGED A
MURDER CASE THE OTHER DAY WITH
RACKETEERING AND IT INVOLVED THE
MURDER OF SOMEONE IN BROAD
DAYLIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
AFTERNOON.
>> THEY DON'T SEEM TO BE
CONCERNED ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES
OF THEIR ACTION AND IT LEADS TO
ACTIONS IN ALL PARTS OF THE
CITY.
>> AND NEIGHBORS SAY AT COOKE
COUNTY STATE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
AND HAVE SEEN LAX SENTENCING AND
LAX PROSECUTION OF GUN CENTERS.
HAVE YOU SEEN THOSE PERHAPS
FEELING.
>> I THINK THERE'S HAD A LOT OF
FACTORS THAT COME INTO PLAY.
THERE ARE CERTAINLY THINGS
OUTSIDE THE ENFORCEMENT AND
THINGS THAT AS LAW ENFORCEMENT
WE DO NOT CONTROL.
BUT THE ONE THING ON THE FEDERAL
SIDE THAT I HAVE DECIDED IN
PARTICULAR IS REALLY HOW
IMPORTANT IT IS THAT WE'VE PRIDE
HAVE A BASELINE LEVEL.
WE KNOW TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE
ARE DRIVING VIOLENCE, THEY'RE
PULLING THE TRIGGER, THEY'RE
PUTTING GUNS INTO THE HANDS OF
PEOPLE THAT SHOULD HAVE THEM,
THAT WE HOLD THOSE PEOPLE
ACCOUNTABLE AND THAT'S ONE OF
THE KEY THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE
FEDERALLY IS TO ENSURE THAT
WE'RE DOING OUR PART TO HELP.
27 SHOOTINGS IN IN CHICAGO.
DO FEDERAL PROSECUTORS HAVE THE
TOOLS TO EFFECTIVELY GO AFTER
GUN TRAFFICKERS WHEN YOU STILL
DO SEE SO MANY GUNS WINDING UP
ILLEGALLY ON CHICAGO STREETS?
>> WE CERTAINLY HAVE TOOLS.
I THINK ANY PROSECUTOR WOULD
TELL AND YOU LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICER WOULD TELL YOU THAT WE
DO HAVE PLENTY OF TOOLS NOW.
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ATF
EMPLOYEES, SUCH AS DIVE-IN
TRACING, WHICH REALLY APPEALS
WITH THE TRACING OF BALLISTICS
AND WEAPONS, IS HOW WE'RE ABLE
TO DETERMINE THAT THAT ONE PRIOR
ARM WAS INVOLVED.
THAT'S REALLY A TREMENDOUS TOOL
TO BE ABLE TO TIE DIFFERENT
SHOOTINGS TO A PARTICULAR, YOU
KNOW, WEAPON AND TO A PARTICULAR
OFFENDER YOU WANTLY THAT WE CAN
CHARGE IN COURT.
IF THE FIREARMS TRAFFIC TEAM IN
OUR RENEWED EFFORTS TO REALLY
PROSECUTE MORE PEOPLE THAN THAT,
IT'S REALLY JUST ONE PROD OF
WHAT WE DO.
EVEN ON THE GUN SIDE OF THE
HOUSE.
THERE'S THE LEGAL TRANSFER, BUT
THE ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF
FIREARMS IS SOMETHING THAT'S
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE
WHAT WE SEE IS THAT MOST OF THE
SHOOTINGS IS HAPPENING FROM
PEOPLE WHO SHOULDN'T HAVE GUNS
IN THE FIRST PLACE.
ULTIMATELY THE PEOPLE THAT ARE
SHOOTING THE FIREARMS AND
KILLING PEOPLE.
THOSE ARE THE WORST OF THE WORST
AND THOSE ARE THE OFFENDERS THAT
WE SPENT MOST OF OUR TIME ON.
>> AND IN THAT CASE YOU HAVE
DIFFERENT STATUTES ON THE
FEDERAL SIDE THAN ON THE STATE
SIDE, SO YOU CAN GO AFTER GANG
MEMBERS FOR RACKETEERING CASES.
WE'VE SEEN GANGS SPLINTER OVER
THE LAST DECADE OR SO AND
HOMICIDE RATES REMAIN HIGH.
SO GOING AFTER THOSE CASES,
PROSECUTING THOSE CASES, IS THAT
EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING GUN CRIME?
>> IT IS.
ALL THREE OF THE THINGS THAT
I'VE TALKED ABOUT JUST TO PICK
UP ON YOUR POINT IS THE
ORGANIZATIONAL GANG CASE IS
SOMETHING WE STILL DO.
THAT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
TO DO CASES, ILLEGAL POSSESSION
OF FIREARMS IS REALLY IMPORTANT
AS WELL.
AND THE SAME THING, THE
TRANSFER.
WE KNOW TO -- WE REALLY NEED TO
WORK AT EVERY PARTICULAR LEVEL
BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS SO ACUTE,
ESPECIALLY RIGHT NOW THAT WE'VE
SEEN OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF
YEARS.
>> I WANT TO MOVE ON TO THE
OTHER BIG PRONG, SEVERAL PRONGS
IN YOUR OFFICE, BUT PUBLIC
CORRUPTION CASES, ALWAYS BEEN A
HALLMARK OF THE U.S. ATTORNEY'S
OFFICE IN THE NORTHERN DISTRICT
OF ILLINOIS.
THE BIG ONE, COM-ED, ALLEGATIONS
OF BRIBERY, A FORMER TOP
OFFICIAL OF THAT COMPANY,
LOBBYISTS FROM THAT COMPANY.
THEY PLED NOT GUILTY TO THOSE
CHARGES.
PUBLIC OFFICIAL A IDENTIFIED AS
THE FORMAL HOUSE SPEAKER
IMPLICATED BUT NOT CHARGED.
DO YOU ANTICIPATE MORE
INDICTMENTS COMING IN THIS BIG
CASE?
>> GIVEN THAT IT'S AN ONGOING
CASE, IT REALLY WOULDN'T BE
APPROPRIATE FOR ME TO COMMENT
ANY FURTHER ON THAT OTHER THAN
TO SAY THAT OUR INVESTIGATION IS
CONTINUE.
>> WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS
CASE IS THE TRADING OF OFFICIAL
BUSINESS, TRADING OF JOBS, SOME
OF THOSE NON-PERFORMING JOBS IN
CHANGE FOR LEGISLATION THAT
WOULD BE FAVORABLE TO COM-ED,
CORRECT?
>> THAT'S THE ALLEGATIONS AND
INDICTMENTS THAT WE BROUGHT
TODAY, EXACTLY.
>> AND ALL THE FOLKS THAT HAVE
BEEN INDICTED PLED NOT GUILTY,
DO YOU ANTICIPATE COOPERATION
FOR SOME OF THESE DEFENSES?
>> WELL, THAT'S ACTUALLY -- JUST
TO CORRECT YOU ON THAT, THERE
IS.
>> I'M SORRY, COM-ED DIDN'T
STRIKE THE DEFERRED PROSECUTION
BUT --
>> THERE IS ONE OF THE
INDIVIDUALS CHARGED IN THE CASE
THAT DID PLEAD GUILTY TO
INFORMATION RELATED TO THE
MISCONDUCT.
>> I STAND CORRECTED.
DO YOU ANTICIPATE IN ANY MORE
COOPERATION?
>> IT WOULDN'T BE APPROPRIATE
FOR ME TO COMMENT ON THAT GIVEN
THAT THIS IS ONGOING AND WE
OBVIOUSLY WELCOME ANYBODY,
WHETHER CHARGED OR UNCHARGED TO
CONTINUE TO HELP US IN
PROSECUTING CASES LIKE THIS.
>> SPEAKING OF PUBLIC
CORRUPTION, WE HAD A RECENT
CONVICTION OF THE FORMER
ALDERMAN, MUNOZ, AND THREE THAT
WERE UNDER INDICTMENT, CARRIE
AUSTIN, PATRICK BURK AND
THOMPSON.
WHAT DO ALL OF THESE CASES SAY
ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF CITY
COUNCIL AND PUBLIC CORRUPTION?
>> HE IS TALKING DIRECTLY ABOUT
ANY OF THE CASES THAT ARE
CHARGED OR ANY THING OF THE
THINGS THAT YOU POINTED OUT
WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE UNDER
INVESTIGATES.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR
PUBLIC OFFICIALS TO KNOW THAT,
YOU KNOW, AS THE FBIS AND OTHER
LAW ENFORCEMENT APARTMENTS IN
OUR OFFICE, WE RECEIVE
ALLEGATIONS REGARDING HOW TO
TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND SCRUB IT
AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER
THERE IS AN ILLEGAL SITUATION
GOING ON, AND SOMETHING THAT
HAPPENED IN THE OFFICE FROM THE
TIME THAT I WAS A REGULAR
PROSECUTOR UP UNTIL NOW AND IT
WILL CONTINUE TO BE A PRIORITY
IN OUR OFFICE GIVEN THAT THE
PROBLEM THAT WE SEE IN CHICAGO
IS A STUBBORN ONE OF PUBLIC
OFFICIALS, FROM TIME TO TIME,
USING THEIR PUBLIC OFFICE FOR
THEIR OWN PRIVATE GAIN.
>> CAN YOU SEE THE PROBLEM IS
WORSE NOW THAN IT HAS BEEN IN
THE PAST, YOU SAY IT'S STUBBORN,
SO KIND ABOUT THE SAME.
>> YEAH, I DON'T KNOW THAT, YOU
KNOW, ME OR ANYBODY ELSE CAN
REALLY DESCRIBE, YOU KNOW, WORSE
ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
THERE'S BEEN A LONG HISTORY OF
CORRUPTION, YOU KNOW, INSIDE
ILLINOIS AND INSIDE THE CHOIGHT
AREA.
SO I DON'T KNOW THAT I WOULD SAY
ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
>> I WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR
TERM.
YOU WERE APPOINTED BY THE FORMER
PRESIDENT.
YOU STAYED ON DESPITE THE CHANGE
IN PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION.
YOU SERVED AT THE PLEASURE OF
THE PRESIDENT, TWO SENATORS FROM
ILLINOIS TALKED ABOUT HAVING YOU
WILL STAND IN TIRM UNTIL THEY
FIND A SUCCESSOR ALTHOUGH ONE OF
THE SENATORS TOLD US TODAY THEY
HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED THAT
PROCESS.
WHAT IS YOUR STATUS AND HOW LONG
DO YOU PLAN TO STAY?
>> WELL, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE
HIT THE STATUS RIGHT ON THE
HEAD.
I MEAN, THIS IS A GREAT JOB.
I LOVE THIS JOB AND IT'S SUCH A
PLEASURE TO WORK WITH SUCH
FANTASTIC STAFF, BOTH LAWYERS
AND STAFF MEMBERS.
SO I SERVE AT THE PLEASURE OF
THE PRESIDENT AND, YOU KNOW,
SHARING NOTHING I WILL CONTINUE
TO KEEP MY HEAD DOWN AND KEEP