LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press
NEW YORK – A Manhattan jury on Tuesday convicted a Chicago banker for allowing Paul Manafort to get $ 16 million in loans before ex-President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager helped him get an interview for a job in the Trump administration.
The jury returned its verdict in federal court after less than two hours of deliberation, convicting Stephen Calk of financial institution bribery and conspiracy. Calk’s lawyers had maintained that their client had done nothing illegal in the weeks following Trump’s victory in the November 2016 presidential election.
But prosecutors said Calk paved the way for Manafort to receive loans he was not entitled to in hopes Calk could secure a high-level job with the Trump administration. Although Calk eventually got an interview at Trump Tower, he was not hired.
The sentence was set for Jan. 10 for Calk, who was the former managing director of the Federal Savings Bank.
A new round of pardons from President Trump. He has granted clemency to 29 people —- most of whom are political allies and loyalists. Among the biggest names — former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. was one of the people convicted of financial crimes in the Robert Mueller investigation. The president also pardoned Roger Stone. President Trump’s longtime adviser has been convicted of lying to Congress and witness tampering. Charles Kushner was also pardoned. He is the father of President Jared Kushner’s son-in-law The elder Kushner pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion … and illegal donations for the campaign. He is accused of having organized a revenge plot against his brother-in-law for cooperating with the authorities.
As Calk left the courthouse, he declined to comment. His lawyer, Paul Schoeman, later released a statement, saying: “We are very disappointed with the verdict and will pursue all available legal remedies, including an appeal.
In a statement, US lawyer Audrey Strauss said Calk used his federally insured bank to try to buy himself “prestige and power.”
During the three-week trial, prosecutors proved to jurors that Calk played a pivotal role in approving a $ 9.5 million and an additional $ 6.5 million real estate construction loan in order to that Manafort can complete construction of a condominium in Brooklyn and avoid foreclosure.
Defense attorneys argued that Calk could not get approval for the loans without the bank’s loan committee and underwriters agreeing to the terms. And they noted that the loans were obtained at a time when Manafort was considered wealthy and prosperous and had yet to be criminally charged.
At the start of the trial, Anthony Scaramucci said he would never have allowed Calk to get the interview for the administrative job had he known Calk was helping Manafort get millions of dollars in loans for his real estate projects. .
Scaramucci had testified that Manafort, who served as Trump’s campaign manager for a key period from June to early August 2016, contacted him in mid-December 2016 to encourage him to consider Calk for an important position.
At the time, Scaramucci was working on Trump’s presidential transition team.
Although Calk had hoped to become Secretary of the Army, he was eventually interviewed for other positions as that position had already been filled, Scaramucci said.
Manafort has lost his position in Trump’s campaign on his ties to Ukraine. Special Advocate Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia led to his criminal conviction and more than seven years in prison for financial crimes related to his work as a political consultant in Ukraine. In December, Trump pardoned him.
See the new Illinois laws that came into effect on July 1
665 tickets
The Democrat-controlled Illinois General Assembly approved 665 bills this legislative session, with the vast majority awaiting Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature.
But, Pritzker signed 42 bills. A handful of them will come into effect on January 1, 2022, but most have entered into force upon signature or will take effect on Thursday.
Here are some notable new laws in effect now or Thursday that Illinoisans should know about.
CAPITOLE NEWS ILLINOIS
Electoral reform
With the pandemic-related delays in the U.S. census redistribution numbers, lawmakers have postponed the state’s 2022 primary elections from March 15 to June 28. The legislation also makes election day a public holiday, requires every county to have at least one universal voting center, and allows people to be added to a permanent mail-ballot list. (SB825)
Photo by Jose M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune
Vote by mail
Some pandemic-induced changes to voting for the 2020 general election, such as postal voting and curbside filing, will now be permanent features of future elections. (House Bill 1871)
State legislative redistribution
As they’re tasked with doing every 10 years, lawmakers approved new district boundaries for the Illinois House and Senate. Maps drawn by Democrats, who used the U.S. community survey of the U.S. census instead of waiting for decennial census figures to arrive later this year, have been challenged in court by Republicans and some other groups. (HB2777)
Photo by Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune
Illinois Supreme Court Redistribution
The Illinois Supreme Court‘s seven-person district boundaries were successfully redrawn for the first time since the 1960s. (SB642)
Photo from Capitol News Illinois
Police reform
There has not been a more controversial bill that passed this year than House Bill 3653, also known as the SAFE-T Act, which passed during the Duck Session. lame in January. The provisions ending the cash bond and requiring all police officers to wear body cameras will not come into effect until 2023 and 2025, respectively. But from Thursday, the police will have to rescue the wounded, intervene when a fellow officer uses excessive force and limit their use of force. It also offers more stringent guidelines for the decertification of officers and would allow people to file anonymous complaints of police misconduct. (HB3653)
Payday loans
Lenders are now prohibited from charging more than 36% annual percentage rate on consumer loans. The average rate in Illinois was nearly 300% before the law was signed. (SB1792)
Vaccine lottery
The state’s fiscal year 2022 budget includes $ 10 million for a “vaccine lottery.” All Illinois residents vaccinated before July 1 will automatically be entered into the contest. It includes $ 7 million in cash prizes for vaccinated adults, ranging from $ 100,000 to $ 1 million, and $ 3 million in scholarships for vaccinated youth. (SB2800)
Photo by Antonio Perez, Chicago Tribune
COVID-19 emergency housing
Created guidelines for distributing over $ 1 billion in federal stimulus funds for COVID-related housing assistance. Also creates automatic sealing of evictions during the pandemic. (SB2877)
Pre-trial interest
Victims of personal injury and wrongful death will be entitled to collect interest from defendants from the time a lawsuit is filed. It aims to encourage the settlement of these cases. He was supported by trial lawyers and opposed by business groups. (SB72)
Casino work
All Illinois casino applicants are now required to enter into a project-work agreement when seeking a new or renewed license. (SB1360)
Compensation for victims of crime
Provides that a victim’s criminal history or crime status does not automatically preclude compensation for that victim or their family. Extends the claimant’s deadline for submitting requested information to 45 days instead of 30 days and provides that final compensation should not exceed $ 45,000, compared to $ 27,000, for a crime committed on or after August 7, 2022. (HB3295)
Electronic signature
Provides that a contract, recording or signature cannot be denied legal effect or enforceability simply because it is in electronic form or an electronic recording was used in its formation. Provides that if a law requires that a recording be in writing, an electronic recording complies with the law. (SB2176)
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