Sanchez was found guilty of mail fraud for illegally disbursing city jobs to politically-connected applicants. Aaron Del Valle, who worked for Sanchez, was convicted of perjury.

One of the witnesses against them was Brian Gabriel, a Streets and Sanitation truck driver, who testified that Sanchez and Delvalle were key players in the passing out of jobs.

Prosecutors knew that Gabriel was a member of the Spanish Vice Lords but did not tell defense lawyers about his gang activity or his extensive arrest record. Unknown to prosecutors, Gabriel was also under investigation for drug dealing by the Illiana Gang Task Force which includes law enforcement authorities from Illinois and Indiana.

Delvalle’s attorney, Chicago criminal defense lawyer Martin Dolan,  said that Gabriel was a witness that stood out in the case because he presented himself as a clean-cut individual from the city who was wronged and passed over for promotions.

The judge decided the defense should have known about Gabriel’s past before Gabriel testified, and ordered a new trial.  The decision marked a rare instance in Chicago’s federal courthouse in which criminal defendants won a new trial because of government mistakes.

Read the Memorandum of Opinion and Order here.

Judge Orders Retrial for City Hall Hiring Scandal is a post from: Las Oficinas Legal de Dolan

Atty. Martin Dolan of Dolan Law Offices in Chicago, lawyer for the two women Anderson allegedly raped, said that St. Leonard’s is incapable of handling a violent criminal like Anderson as evidenced by the fact that he walked out of the home and was missing for over 15 days and went unreported to anybody, including people in the community.

State law requires that sex offenders are not allowed to be housed within 500 feet of a school but The Chicago Public Schools’ Suder School is just across the street at 2022 W. Washington.

Fioretti’s office already arranged a meeting at City Hall where St. Leonard’s officials informed neighbors that they would stop taking in sex offenders.

West Haven residents are complaining about St. Leonard’s house, a facility that provides transitional housing for ex-offenders. Residents claim that St. Leonard’s in the 2100 block of West Warren never notified the neighborhood that sex offenders live nearby. Earlier this year, a convicted rapist walked out of the center and allegedly raped two women in separate attacks on the North side. The residents persuaded Ald. Robert Fioretti to put a hold on the facility’s plans to buy two lots to expand its campus.

Atty. Martin Dolan of Dolan Law Offices in Chicago, lawyer for the two women Anderson allegedly raped, said that St. Leonard’s is incapable of handling a violent criminal like Anderson as evidenced by the fact that he walked out of the home and was missing for over 15 days and went unreported to anybody, including people in the community.

State law requires that sex offenders are not allowed to be housed within 500 feet of a school but The Chicago Public Schools’ Suder School is just across the street at 2022 W. Washington.

Fioretti’s office already arranged a meeting at City Hall where St. Leonard’s officials informed neighbors that they would stop taking in sex offenders.

Dolan Supports Fight Against Expansion of Facility for Sex Offenders is a post from: Las Oficinas Legal de Dolan

With all that effort put into guarding their children’s safety and purchasing the right stroller, many parents were alarmed to learn of the massive Maclaren stroller recall issued last week.  The recall includes approximately 1 million umbrella strollers that have been sold since 1999 at large retailers across the country including Babies R Us and Target.  The strollers were recalled because of a defect that allowed children’s fingers to get stuck between the stroller’s side hinges.  12 amputations have occurred because of this defect.

If your child has been hurt by a Maclaren stroller or another defective product, we encourage you to contact an Illinois defective children’s products attorney to discuss your rights.  Your child may be entitled to compensation.

Massive Recall of Maclaren Strollers is a post from: Las Oficinas Legal de Dolan

Criminal defendants who are sentenced to death, and those who receive lesser sentences for less serious and nonviolent crimes, have a common right to appeal.  However, in a death sentence case, the appeals are often lengthier given the ultimate severity of the sentence.

The specific issues that Dugan will raise on appeal are not yet known.  His criminal defense attorneys and appellate attorneys will represent him and likely argue that an error by the trial court should prevent Dugan from receiving the death sentence. 

Currently there is a moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois and there is no indication that the death penalty will be reinstated any time soon. In the meantime Dugan and other Illinois death row inmates will remain on death row until their appeals are successful or they have exhausted their right to an appeal and the death penalty is enacted.

If you or a loved one has been charged with any kind of crime in Illinois then it is important to contact an experienced Illinois criminal defense attorney as soon as possible.  Do not count on your right to an appeal to prove that you are not guilty.  It is important to have an experienced defense team on your side from the beginning of your case.

What’s Next for Dugan? is a post from: Las Oficinas Legal de Dolan

Chicago Public Schools must now figure out how to make sure that schools are racially integrated and that racial minorities have equal educational opportunities without considering race in admissions to magnet and other selective schools.  The Chicago Tribune reports that Chicago’s new policy will be to consider socioeconomic factors rather than race in school admissions.  School officials will evaluate this method of integration after one year.

While similar admissions systems have already failed in other large cities across the country, Chicago Public School officials are confident that this plan will work in our city.

What do you think? Will socioeconomic diversity result in racial diversity?  Will racial minority students have the same access to educational opportunities as the racial majority?

Equal access to education is an important civil rights issue.  If you believe that your child has been denied an educational opportunity on the basis of race, we encourage you to contact experienced Chicago civil rights attorney for a free consultation.

Civil Rights in Chicago Public Schools is a post from: Las Oficinas Legal de Dolan

All drivers of commercial motor vehicles are required to abide by the hours of service regulations unless they meet one of the specific exceptions.  Generally, a commercial motor vehicle operator can work for 14 consecutive hours after 10 consecutive hours of rest.  11 of those 14 hours of work may include driving.  Additionally, drivers may only work a certain number of hours per week (or 8 day cycle).

Despite these legal requirements, truck accidents still occur because of driver fatigue.  Accidents that happen because of driver fatigue require us to consider whether they are happening because drivers are not complying with the regulations or because the regulations do not adequately protect drivers from fatigue.

Perhaps the number of truck driver fatigue accidents could be lowered if companies imposed shorter work days for truck drivers or drivers had less financial incentive to push themselves to work when they were tired.  Maybe it is time for the federal regulations to be revised to encourage companies and drivers to take adequate safety precautions.

While any changes that would make Illinois roadways safer are welcomed, change takes time and, unfortunately, truck accidents are likely to continue to occur. If you, or a loved one, have been hurt in a truck accident then please contact an Illinois truck accident attorney today to discuss your rights.

Tired Truck Drivers Can be Dangerous is a post from: Las Oficinas Legal de Dolan

Former priest Daniel McCormack has pleaded guilty to abusing five boys. He has been sentenced to five years in prison and has been removed from the priesthood.  The state is now seeking to have Mr. McCormack confined to a state treatment facility under the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act.  The Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act allows prosecutors to petition the court for continued incarceration if there is a great likelihood that a sexually violent person will commit another sex crime.

The court has not yet ruled on whether Mr. McCormack should be civilly committed, as the prosecutors argue.  However, the court has denied Mr. McCormack’s motion to seal records and keep the proceedings about whether he should be committed private. 

Does the court’s ruling in this case make sense?  Does the public have a right to know what happens during these proceedings?

 Please leave us a comment and let us know what you think and if you have been the victim of sexual abuse by a priest or another clergy member, we encourage you to contact an Illinois priest abuse attorney today for a free consultation.

Do Convicted Priests Deserve Privacy? is a post from: Las Oficinas Legal de Dolan

The baby’s stroller allegedly got caught in the doors of a CTA train.  The child was dragged across the platform in her stroller until the stroller hit a guard rail causing the 22 month old girl to fly out of it and land on the train tracks.  Luckily, the baby did not hit the third rail and was out of the way of the moving train.  She survived with only minor injuries.

However, if the evidence is found to support the mother’s claim then this is an accident that should not have happened and that could have had a tragic ending.  The CTA train doors are supposed to open if an object is detected in their way and the train is not supposed to be able to move when the doors are open.

The train has been taken out of commission and the train operator has been suspended while the Chicago police and the CTA investigate this accident.

If you or a loved one has been hurt in any type of train accident, whether as a result of malfunctioning safety features or a train crash, then please contact an Illinois railroad accident attorney today for a free consultation.

Toddler Trapped in Doors of CTA Train Lands on Railroad Tracks is a post from: Las Oficinas Legal de Dolan

 In a six month period during late 2006 and early 2007, for example, nine patients died in surgery. Senator Dick Durbin has classified those nine deaths as medical malpractice, according to the Chicago Breaking News Center. 

A recently issued report cites ongoing problems that Senator Durbin called “appalling” and “inexcusable” and Senator Roland Burris is calling for stronger whistleblower protections for staff.  The new report finds problems in four key areas at the Marion VA facility including: quality management, physician credentials and privileges, medication management and environment of care which includes things such as cleanliness and safety. 

Veterans are entitled to the same reasonable standard of medical care to which other citizens are entitled.  Medical facilities, doctors and other professionals who fail to provide a reasonable standard of care that results in physical injuries or death of patients may be liable for negligence.

If you or a loved one has been hurt by medical malpractice in a VA medical facility, or any other Illinois medical facility, we encourage you to contact an experienced Illinois medical malpractice attorney today for a free and confidential consultation.

Serious Patient Safety Concerns Continue at VA Medical Center in Marion is a post from: Las Oficinas Legal de Dolan

The plaintiff alleges that he purchased the Summer Day and Night Video Baby Monitor because a Toys R Us sales representative told him that it was more secure than other less expensive baby monitors.  The plaintiff’s neighbors also purchased a Summer Day and Night Video Monitor.  The neighbors were able to clearly see and hear everything that was happening in the plaintiff’s baby’s room on their own monitor in their own home.  The plaintiff states that his wife often breastfed the baby in that room. It is also reasonable to presume that private conversations that were not meant for the neighbors to hear could have occurred in that room.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the plaintiff’s complaint states that Toys R Us and Summer Infant, Inc. knew of this problem and failed to provide adequate warnings that the monitors exposed families to “the prying eyes and perhaps ill intentions of neighbors and strangers.”

Product manufacturers and retailers have a legal responsibility to provide adequate warnings to consumers.  If you have been harmed by a product that did not contain an adequate warning then you should contact an experienced Illinois products liability attorney for a free consultation and to discuss your legal rights.

Illinois Plaintiff Sues Toys R Us in Products Liability Case is a post from: Las Oficinas Legal de Dolan