Sounds like fiction, doesn’t it? Something out of Stalin’s playbook. But this is the real-life horror show playing out in the land of deep-dish pizza, machine politics, and corrupt judges who smile as they trample the Constitution. Steve Fanady is rotting in the Cook County Jail, now entering his fourth year, not because he broke the law, but because two vindictive ex-wives want a luxury retirement they didn’t earn. And a bunch of hack judges are more than happy to oblige. Fanady has no history of violence. What he does have is a beautiful young daughter who misses him dearly and a target painted on his back. You see, years ago, Fanady lived somewhat large. Nice home, serious income, the kind of lifestyle that makes divorce lawyers drool. Now he’s flat broke, burned by endless legal fees, and being punished for money he doesn’t have. Money that exists only in the imaginations of greedy ex-spouses, delusional lawyers and judges. A trial judge actually guessed that Fanady had millions...

Judicial corruption in Chicago was a way of life.   You could not be a judge there unless you were a Democrat. As a cop I knew at least nine of these judges and was friends with two that wound up on this list.   Many other tainted judges were never caught in these roundups by sheer luck.   Operation Greylord and Operation Gambat were extensive federal investigations in the 1980s and early 1990s that uncovered widespread judicial corruption in Cook County. 92 officials were indicted, including 17 judges, 48 lawyers, eight policemen, 10 court bailiffs, eight court clerks, and one state legislator. Nearly all were convicted, most of them pleading guilty. Below is a detailed list of just the Cook County judges who were indicted during these operations, along with their sentences and outcomes: Judges Indicted and Convicted in Operation Greylord Reginald Holzer Position: Circuit Judge Charges: Accepted over $200,000 in bribes from attorneys. Sentence: 18 years in federa...