Danny Solis made some huge guarantees when he struck his secret take care of federal prosecutors years in the past, together with to not commit any extra crimes whereas cooperating with authorities.
In any other case his deal may go “poof,” as Michael J. Madigan’s protection legal professional put it.
However jurors in Madigan’s racketeering conspiracy trial heard allegations Monday of tax fraud, bribery, prostitution and marketing campaign regulation violations as protection attorneys started their long-awaited cross-examination of Solis, the star authorities witness who wore an FBI wire to keep away from jail.
“Are you involved about whether or not this settlement’s going to go ‘poof’?” Dan Collins, one in all Madigan’s protection attorneys, requested Solis at one level in his interrogation.
It appears unlikely — Solis’ December 2018 deal says the feds won’t prosecute him for conduct “disclosed by Mr. Solis” previous to signing it. Solis admitted Monday to crimes already documented by the FBI, together with bribery offenses “with marketing campaign contributions,” in addition to encounters with prostitutes and massages that Solis insisted weren’t free.
“By no means, I paid for them,” Solis mentioned of the massages.
“We made a group,” he insisted, when requested repeatedly about political insider Brian Hynes’ alleged position in hiring prostitutes for Solis and different public officers in Puerto Rico throughout a go to to a house Hynes owned.
However finally, Collins insisted to Solis, “you haven’t advised the federal government all of the crimes you’ve dedicated, have you ever?”
“I don’t know what you’re referring to,” Solis mentioned.
Collins’ four-hour cross-examination of Solis was much less fiery than others witnessed by jurors to date within the trial of Madigan, Illinois’ former Home speaker. However Solis is a former elected official whose soiled laundry is much extra salacious. And protection attorneys have set their sights on Solis’ credibility.
His questioning is ready to proceed Tuesday.
Sister ‘recommending tax fraud?’
Solis represented Chicago’s twenty fifth Ward for greater than 20 years. He started carrying a wire for the FBI in June 2016 and helped federal brokers construct their case towards Madigan. The once-powerful Southwest Facet Democrat is accused of main a prison enterprise designed to reinforce his political energy and monetary well-being.
Solis solely agreed to put on a wire after being confronted by brokers about his personal alleged wrongdoing, although. And Monday, Collins turned his consideration to Solis’ sister, Patti Solis Doyle.
The previous Hillary Clinton 2008 marketing campaign supervisor later co-founded an organization referred to as Vendor Help Program with Hynes. It pocketed roughly $400 million over greater than a decade by serving as an middleman that helped distributors get cash owed to them by the state of Illinois.
Solis advised jurors Monday that his sister paid him a price of roughly $200,000 over 5 years for referring her to Hynes. However Collins went on to doc much more — a complete of $617,000 that Solis collected from his sister between 2014 and 2018.
“Your testimony is that you just by no means had an possession curiosity, right?” Collins requested Solis. “… And also you by no means made an funding … You made a referral in your sister to Brian Hynes?”
Solis mentioned that was all right.
Solis additionally acknowledged that he had conversations with Hynes and Solis Doyle in 2017 about reporting the VAP cash he’d obtained as a capital achieve. By then, the FBI was listening in on Solis’ cellphone calls. Collins famous that, at one level, Solis Doyle steered “revising paperwork” to that finish.
“Did you understand that your sister was recommending tax fraud?” Collins requested.
Solis mentioned he didn’t.
Neither Solis Doyle nor Hynes have been charged with wrongdoing. An FBI particular agent has mentioned that Solis Doyle’s cellphone was wiretapped, however the ensuing investigation was not fruitful.
‘Exhausting time studying tax returns’
In the meantime, Collins questioned Solis about his tax returns courting again to 2014, and whether or not Solis had reported the VAP revenue to the IRS. Solis repeatedly professed confusion with taxes, telling the jury that “I’ve a tough time studying tax returns. I simply don’t perceive them.”
Solis pointed the finger towards his accountant at instances — giving Collins a possibility to notice how a tax preparer would depend on data supplied by Solis as jurors would possibly.
Solis additionally advised Collins his 2014 tax returns had been “too distant” for him to recollect, regardless that Solis had earlier testified about encounters with Madigan in 2014.
Actually, Solis, 75, advised jurors at one level that, “I feel I’m getting previous, and I’ve issues with short-term reminiscence and other people’s names.”
Collins introduced up Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, noting the significance of her workplace to VAP, an organization that interacted with state distributors. The protection legal professional mentioned Solis’ marketing campaign made a $55,400 donation to Mendoza’s in February 2018.
Collins additionally alleged that entities related to Hynes paid Solis $55,500 that June.
“Are you conscious, sir, that Brian Hynes made his personal donations to Buddies of Susana Mendoza?” Collins requested. “If he had, and then you definately put one other $55,400 on it, he’s far in extra of what he’s allowed to donate to Ms. Mendoza?”
Ultimately, Collins requested about Solis’ sale of an condo “on the finish of 2018,” across the time Solis formally signed his take care of the feds.
Collins famous that Solis later didn’t report a $194,000 revenue from the sale to the IRS.
And that’s when Collins requested Solis whether or not his deal may go “poof.”
Solis Doyle didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
However a spokesperson for Hynes advised the Solar-Instances, “Solis was neither an proprietor or investor in nor was paid by the corporate. Claims made by the protection that tax recommendation was supplied are false and whereas Solis stayed on the San Juan house when the proprietor was not current, different insinuations made by the protection are additionally false.”
