Betty Loren-Maltese
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Betty Loren-Maltese (born c. 1949 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is the former Republican Town President (i.e., mayor) of the Town of Cicero, Illinois. She was convicted in 2002 on federal charges of corruption, and was implicated in a scheme to steal $12 million from the town treasury. Also implicated in the scandal was former Chicago Alderman Edward Vrdolyak. Before her election as Town President, Loren-Maltese served as an aide to former Town President Henry Klosak. She was sentenced to eight years in prison.
In 1990, Loren-Maltese's husband, Frank Maltese, pled guilty to mob-related gambling charges. In 1993, she was appointed to the position of Town President by her husband after the then-Town President died in office and Frank Maltese (heir apparent to the position) was facing prison time.
In March 2001, This American Life did a story on the town of Cicero, including a segment on Loren-Maltese. The segment detailed some of the strong-arm tactics used in the 2001 campaign, including attempts to lengthen the residency requirement for Town President in order to block candidates from running against her. A federal judge struck the referendum down, and ordered federal election monitors to watch over town elections for the next five years. The segment also examined her popularity as a firewall against the gang activity and degeneration that plagued the actual city of Chicago.
In the 2001 election campaign, she had a campaign fund of $1 million - surprisingly large for a town of just 80,000 people.
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