Scrutiny of speaker’s former political operative, alderman’s brother comes amid probe of City Hall
Federal agents have raided the Far South Side home of Kevin Quinn, a former top political operative for House Speaker Michael Madigan and brother of the 13th Ward alderman, the Tribune has learned.
The FBI executed a search warrant in mid-May at Quinn’s home in the 10300 block of South California Avenue in the West Beverly neighborhood, according to three sources familiar with the investigation.
It’s unclear what information the agents were seeking or whether the raid stemmed from Quinn’s past work with Madigan’s powerful political organization. One source, however, told the Tribune federal agents had shown interest in computers and electronic equipment.
No charges have been filed against Quinn, 43, who could not be reached Wednesday. Messages left for Madigan’s spokesman and lawyer were not returned.
The raid on Quinn’s home comes amid ongoing corruption probes at City Hall, including the bombshell racketeering indictment
Ex-Ald. Daniel Solis was revealed to have been wearing a wire for the FBI for two years as part of the Burke probe but has not been charged.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners voted in December to refer to federal and county prosecutors a controversy involving the re-election bid of Kevin Quinn’s brother, Marty .
The 13th Ward alderman’s team tried to knock off the ballot challenger David Krupa, a teenage DePaul University student.
To do that, the alderman’s campaign challenged Krupa’s signatures and included affidavits from 2,796 residents who said they were revoking their signatures for Krupa. But only 187 of them matched signatures contained in Krupa’s paperwork.
Krupa has since
The revelation that Kevin Quinn is now under federal scrutiny follows a scandal that began in February 2018 when a
The campaign aide, Alaina Hampton,
Hampton repeatedly discouraged the overtures, but the unwanted contact only stopped after she informed his brother, Ald. Quinn, she said.
Kevin Quinn was quickly cut loose by Madigan from his roles in the speaker’s political and state government operations just as Hampton was about to go public with her accusations.
Kevin Quinn’s name has also surfaced in a civil suit filed over the 2016 Democratic primary for Madigan’s House seat. The case, brought by failed challenger Jason Gonzales, alleged the Madigan political operation put up two phony candidates with Hispanic-sounding names to confuse voters and draw votes away from Gonzales.
In a sworn deposition last July, Kevin Quinn
“I had simply reached out to Charlie to see if Joe had an interest,” Kevin Quinn said in the deposition, according to a transcript obtained by the Tribune. “I never heard back from Charlie.”
Barboza has denied he was a “sham” candidate.
Last year, Kevin Quinn
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