Charles Panici

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Charles "Chuck" Panici (born 1930) was mayor of Chicago Heights, Illinois from 1975 to 1991. He was born in 1930 in the “Hungry Hill” section of Chicago Heights, a south suburb, which was the home to mainly Italian immigrants in a heavily Italian town. His parents operated "Three Star Restaurant", a popular hangout for many neighborhood residents.

[edit] Political career

Panici began his political career in the early 1970s as President of the Chicago Heights Park District. In 1975, he put together a coalition ticket and easily defeated the incumbent mayor. His Concerned Citizens ticket won 3 of the 4 seats on the city council.

In 1978, Panici was elected the Bloom Township Republican Committeeman. Over the next 13 years, he would build the party into the strongest Republican organization in Illinois. The party backed winning candidates in every Chicago Heights city and park district election during the 1980s, and Panici was responsible for fostering the political careers of numerous local officials, state legislators and judges. He was also instrumental in the campaigns of Governor Jim Thompson. The party became so powerful that Bloom High School hosted President Reagan in 1986 and then-Vice President Bush in 1988. During this time, Panici also co-founded Telecommunication Services (TCS) with two other Chicago Heights entrepreneurs, and the company grew rapidly during the 1980s and early 1990s, serving many of the area's hospitals and other businesses.

In 1979, Panici won again, with his entire city council slate of John Gliottoni, Louise Marshall and Eugene Sadus winning re-election. They were joined by Nicholas C. "Nick" LoBue, and all five won easy victories in 1983 and 1987. With a patronage army that spanned all levels of city and township government, Panici built a political machine never equaled before or since in the south suburbs.

[edit] The FBI comes to town

In 1988, south suburban mob boss Albert Tocco was indicted and convicted on a wide range of crimes, including murder, extortion and arson. He was also implicated by his wife in the murder of Anthony Spilotro, which was depicted in the movie Casino. Although he was never charged with the Spilotro killing, he would be convicted on many other charges in 1990 and sentenced to 200 years in prison. During the trial, LoBue's name was mentioned along with another Panici ally, former South Chicago Heights mayor Donald Prisco. Testimony alleged that LoBue and Prisco were accepting bribe money from Tocco in exchange for help in keeping the garbage-hauling license for both cities in the hands of Tocco's Chicago Heights Disposal. LoBue and Prisco were indicted in 1990 on multiple RICO violations.

In March 1992, two weeks after the death of his wife, Panici was indicted along with Gliottoni and Marshall on charges of racketeering, extortion and bribery. The indictment charged that the group extorted hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks from businesses in return for city contracts. Prior to trial, LoBue and Prisco each pleaded guilty to lesser crimes. In return for their testimony against Panici, LoBue and Prisco received reduced prison sentences. LoBue, facing 80+ years in prison, served only 11 months. Panici, Gliottoni and Marshall were convicted in 1993 on all counts, with the testimony from LoBue being the only evidence that implicated the three in crimes. Panici was sentenced to 10 years in prison, Gliottoni to 5 ½ years and Marshall to 4 years.

[edit] After the fall

Panici was released in 2001, and again lives in Chicago Heights. He has always maintained that, while his administration was infiltrated by a mob-connected councilman (LoBue), he was unaware of the bribery scheme. He remains active in local politics, though in a lesser way. He works for a marketing/political consulting firm, and has worked on the successful campaigns of several area legislators.