Illinois Quick Hits: Ex-Chicago housing director indicted in alleged kickback scheme

Illinois Quick Hits: Ex-Chicago housing director indicted in alleged kickback scheme

Spread the love

(The Center Square) – A former Chicago Housing Authority property director is accused of steering more than $4.8 million in city business to a construction company in exchange for more than $421,000 in kickbacks.

Ryan Ross, 50, of Bolingbrook and Vanessa Rhodes, 47, of Chicago are both charged with eight counts of honest services fraud.

A federal indictment accused Ross of receiving the kickbacks in 2023 and 2024 from Rhodes, who owns a Chicago company that did business as Twenty Eleven Construction, Inc.

ONE OF FBI’S MOST WANTED SENTENCED FOR MACHINE GUN POSSESSION

A Belleville man who was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for possessing a machine gun.

Dontay Moore, 23, is facing state charges in St. Louis for other offenses, including his alleged involvement in a drive-by shooting that resulted in serious injuries to bystanders.

Prosecutors say his federal sentence will be in addition to any sentence imposed in state court. Moore was arrested by Illinois State Police in September 2025.

ICE-INVOLVED CRASH REPORTED IN CHICAGO

A pursuit reportedly involving federal immigration law enforcement officers ended in a crash on Chicago’s Northwest Side.

WGN-TV reports that the incident came to a halt around 11 a.m. on Tuesday in the 3800 block of North Olcott Avenue.

A witness said several unmarked vehicles followed a red Lexus and appeared to strike the Lexus before it crashed into a tree. Another witness said he later saw a man being escorted from the scene.

REPORT: THOUSANDS DROP OBAMACARE IN ILLINOIS

More than 92,000 Illinois consumers have lost or dropped Affordable Care Act health insurance in recent months.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the unusually large decline followed the expiration of tax credits that had helped to curb the plans’ costs.

Last month, Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee estimated that 120,825 people in Illinois would lose health insurance due to the ACA cuts proposed by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans.

⚠️ Flood Watch issued June 17 at 2:20AM CDT until June 17 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL
Today Jun 16
Showers And Thunderstorms
72° 59°

Showers And Thunderstorms

💨 5 to 25 mph 💧 100%

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

Will County P&Z Logo Planning Zoning

Green Garden Solar Farm Approved in Split Vote; Battery Storage Component Rejected

Will County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting | May 5, 2026 Article Summary: The Will County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval for a new 4.98-megawatt solar facility in Green...
Bill to expel students over sexual assault progresses in Springfield

Bill to expel students over sexual assault progresses in Springfield

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A measure that would place new rules on Illinois schools requiring a full-year expulsion of a student...
Viral goose egg case fuels debate over abortion

Viral goose egg case fuels debate over abortion

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A viral incident involving a suburban Chicago woman accused of taking protected goose eggs is drawing...
Another U.S.-Canada border bust: Gun smuggling operation

Another U.S.-Canada border bust: Gun smuggling operation

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square A gun smuggling operation run by Canadian, Pakistani and Jordanian citizens has been thwarted at the U.S.-Canada border, authorities said. While illegal border crosser crime...
More than 200 children rescued, 350 child sex offenders arrested in one month

More than 200 children rescued, 350 child sex offenders arrested in one month

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square More than 200 children were rescued and more than 350 child sex offenders arrested in one month in the latest Department of Justice targeted enforcement...
Trump budget targets 'valley of death' with new military contractor accountability model

Trump budget targets ‘valley of death’ with new military contractor accountability model

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The Trump administration's $1.5 trillion military budget request would rewrite how the Pentagon buys weapons – forcing contractors to fund their own factory expansions and...
Nonprofit flies troops home for milestones they can't afford to miss

Nonprofit flies troops home for milestones they can’t afford to miss

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square For junior enlisted military members earning about $30,000 a year, the cost of a round-trip ticket home can be the difference between witnessing a family...
Report: 2025 third most violent year on record for American Jews

Report: 2025 third most violent year on record for American Jews

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Last year was the third most violent year on record for American Jews, according to an analysis by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Although antisemitic incidents...
Screenshot 2026-05-05 at 1.46.14 PM

Meeting Summary and Briefs: Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees for April 15, 2026

Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees Meeting | April 15, 2026 The Joliet Junior College (JJC) Board of Trustees held a strictly ceremonial meeting on Wednesday evening after failing to...
International human smuggling ring exploiting Canadian visa system thwarted by US

International human smuggling ring exploiting Canadian visa system thwarted by US

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Another international human smuggling ring exploiting lax Canadian border security and visa processes has been thwarted by U.S. officials. Mexican smuggling at the U.S.-Canada border...
Screenshot 2026-05-09 at 4.19.33 PM

Frankfort Village Administrator Rob Piscia Retires After 40-Year Career; John Burica Appointed

Frankfort Village Board Meeting | May 4, 2026 Article Summary: Frankfort is experiencing a historic leadership transition as Village Administrator Rob Piscia steps down after four decades of public service,...
Pro-life org: Informed consent for abortion pill impossible without doctor visit

Pro-life org: Informed consent for abortion pill impossible without doctor visit

By Tate RosentreterThe Center Square The nation’s largest pro-life organization filed an amicus brief Thursday in the U.S. Supreme Court asserting the impossibility of ensuring informed consent without an in-person...
Illinois Quick Hits: Swipe fee case returned to district court

Illinois Quick Hits: Swipe fee case returned to district court

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has returned a case involving an Illinois law banning electronic...
Trump announces three-day ceasefire, prisoner swap between Russia, Ukraine

Trump announces three-day ceasefire, prisoner swap between Russia, Ukraine

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square More than four years into the war between Russia and Ukraine, President Donald Trump has announced a three-day ceasefire between the two countries. The ceasefire...
Bill to tax global profits from Illinois meets opposition protesting 'double tax'

Bill to tax global profits from Illinois meets opposition protesting ‘double tax’

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Multinational corporations that do business in Illinois would be taxed more to fund public education under a...