Iraq War profiteering gets local

Remember the story about the Forest Park cop (Maureen Frawley) on medical leave having $100,000 cash (not her cash) stolen from her home and then it was returned without explanation?

Apparently, there's a connection between Frawley's brother, the purported owner of the money, and Antoin "Tony" Rezko. (The Wikipedia article emphasizes Rezko's connection to U.S. Senator Barack Obama. This is probably because Obama is a presidential candidate. I think most people who follow Illinois politics see Rezko as being more involved with Gov. Rod Blagojevich.)

See Forest Park Review (Josh Adams) for the latest twists and turns. Or you can read Sun-Times (Tim Novak & Chris Fusco).

Two years ago, Iraq's Ministry of Electricity gave a $50 million contract to a start-up security company owned by now-indicted businessman Tony Rezko and a onetime Chicago cop with a checkered financial past.

Within a month, an Iraqi leadership change left the deal in limbo.

Now the company, Companion Security, is working to revive its contract to train Iraqi power-plant guards in the United States.

The true face of the Iraq War (and most wars): shady people getting rich off of shady deals while politicians blather about security, rape, genocide, honor, "before they strike us" and other bullshit.

Anyway, Mike Sturino couldn't help taking a shot at Maureen Frawley. Along with Dan Harder and Steve Johnsen, Frawley was one of the three cops the Forest Park PD was trying to can. Frawley, Harder and officer Andrea Caines successfully sued the village for sexual harassment and generally behaving badly. Johnsen found himself in Chief Jim Ryan's sights after testifying on Harder's behalf at Harder's termination hearings.

Asked whether Frawley's connections to Rezko scandalize the village or its police department, Sturino said the links are unfortunate.

"I think any time any employees are associated with anything controversial it has the potential to reflect poorly on the village," Sturino said.

But you didn't catch Sturino wringing his hands like this when the feds subpoena'd the Village of Forest Park for records pertaining to Anthony Bruno, who matches or exceeds the sleaziness of Dan Frawley.

And when Sturino hired Giglio & Del Galdo and "forgot" to tell the board about it, you didn't hear Sturino embracing guilt by association.

I doubt Sturino is really bothered by Frawley associating with the wrong element so much as he's kicking someone he wanted to kick anyway.