Pat Marcy
Pat Marcy (September 6, 1913 - March 13, 1993) was a legendary political boss with great influence over the Illinois Democratic Party. According to Federal prosecutors, as well as informants Robert Cooley and Michael J. Corbitt, he was also a trusted and valued associate of the Chicago Outfit. His official title was, "Secretary of the First Ward." FBI agent William Roemer believed Marcy to be a made man in the Chicago Outfit when Roemer testified before the Senate in 1983.
Background
Marcy was born in Chicago, Illinois to an Italian American family. His name was originally Pasqualino Marchone until he formally changed it, likely hoping that a non-Italian alias would help his political career.
The First Ward
Marcy ran Chicago's old 1st Ward which encompassed Chicago's Downtown. Alderman Fred Roti and Democratic Committeeman John D'Arco, Sr., both of whom also had close ties to the Chicago Outfit, took their direct orders from Marcy. The "Secretary" regularly paid court and dispensed favors from the "First Ward table" at the "Counselor's Row" restaurant in the Chicago Loop, just across the street from Chicago City Hall.
The FBI
Beginning in the 1950s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation tried for over three decades to bring down Marcy and his associates. According to former FBI agent William F. Roemer, Jr., their tactics included illegally bugging the First Ward's Headquarters at 100 North LaSalle Street in 1962. Although the bug, dubbed "Shade," revealed a great deal about the activities of the First Ward's political machine, nothing could be used in court.
The sting
Finally, in the mid 1980s, mobbed-up criminal defense Attorney and longtime First Ward associate Robert Cooley secretly approached Federal prosecutors. He declared, "I want to help you destroy the First Ward. I want to help you destroy Pat Marcy." Cooley proceeded to wear a wire on Marcy and several other First Ward members, including D'Arco and Roti, implicating them in numerous acts of corruption, including fixing trials on the Outfit's behalf.
During the same period, Michael Corbitt, the imprisoned former police chief of Willow Springs, Illinois, began cooperating with Federal prosecutors. According to Corbitt, Marcy was so trusted by the Outfit that the money skimmed from casinos in Central America and Las Vegas was delivered directly to him.
Imprisonment and death
As a result of these investigations, Marcy was indicted (91 CR 1045) with one count of conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), six counts of bribery, and six counts of extortion. Marcy died during the trial, in March 1993.
References
- William F. Roemer, Roemer: Man Against the Mob, 1989.
- Robert Cooley, When Corruption was King: How I Helped the Mob Rule Chicago, Then Brought the Outfit Down, 2004.
- Michael Corbitt, Double Deal; The True Story of Murder, Unbridled Corruption, and the Cop Who was a Mobster.