Story posted Saturday, November 14, 2009
Ex-Niles Mayor Sentencing Now Set For Jan. 29
For the fifth time, former Niles Mayor Nicholas Blase has been given a new sentencing date. This time it's Jan. 29, 2010, a spokeswoman for the United States Attorney's office told the Journal & Topics Newspapers.
The hearing will be held at the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago before Judge Wayne Andersen of Des Plaines.
Blase pled guilty to federal corruption charges in October 2008 and has seen four continuances for his sentencing date since then.
Blase was given his last continuance in June just two days after his co-defendant, Steve Weiner, pled guilty to one count of fraud.
Weiner received one continuance last month and still does not have a scheduled sentencing date.
According to prosecutors, Blase and Weiner were engaged in a scheme to strong-arm companies wishing to do business in Niles to take out insurance policies with Weiner's company, Ralph Weiner and Associates (RWA), for which Weiner allegedly paid Blase $421,450 in kickbacks.
RWA is currently based in Wheeling but was based in Niles until a few years ago.
Blase pled guilty to two counts of mail fraud of an 11-count indictment for his part in the scheme.
Prosecutors said in their indictment that RWA used its access to Blase to favorably influence village regulations of current and potential RWA clients.
The scheme lasted from 1997 to 2006, according to court records, however, Blase's relationship with RWA dates back to 1974, the same year Steven Weiner joined his father's firm. Company founder and former President Ralph Weiner died in 2005.
Blase is still active in Niles politics having played an influential role in the successful campaign of his replacement, Mayor Robert Callero, and Callero's slate of trustee candidates that included Andrew Przybylo, Louella Preston and George Alpogianis in last April's election.
One unsuccessful candidate for village trustee in the last election interviewed for a spot on Callero's slate.
Candidate Dan Ryan said he was told to be at a meeting regarding the slate and was told, “the mayor will be there.”
Ryan said he assumed that the reference to “the mayor" was about then Acting Mayor Callero. But he said that when he entered the room Blase was there and Callero was not.
Alpogianis resigned from the village board last June because of his own troubles with the law when the Cook County State's Attorney said he did not have standing to hold office as a convicted felon.
Alpogianis' convictions are not related to Blase or his case. He has since filed suit against Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez in an attempt to clear his record.
Cook County Court records show Alpogianis' six aggravated battery convictions still stand.
The village has embarked on an ambitious ethics reform effort. Last week, the village ethics board received a first draft of a proposed ethics code for village employees and other public officials that bars employees or officials from profiting from their office and would require annual financial disclosures to the village clerk.
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