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.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

Little talk of ‘world’s largest’ data center planned for southern Ohio

Little talk of ‘world’s largest’ data center planned for southern Ohio

By David BeasleyThe Center Square A Cold-War relic in Southern Ohio from America’s nuclear past is emerging as a prime site in the latest global evolution – data centers and...
Illinois Quick Hits: Pritzker signs bill creating new state agency

Illinois Quick Hits: Pritzker signs bill creating new state agency

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed legislation elevating the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission to the cabinet-level Illinois...
Poll: Local governments should be cautious about data center approvals

Poll: Local governments should be cautious about data center approvals

By Jon StyfThe Center Square American voters say local governments should be cautious about new data centers because they can place strain on electricity, water, land and local infrastructure, according...
DOJ indicts 15 linked to anti-ICE protests in Minnesota

DOJ indicts 15 linked to anti-ICE protests in Minnesota

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Federal prosecutors have charged 15 members and associates of a Minnesota anti-ICE activist network with crimes ranging from stalking to assault. The U.S. Department of...
Will County Board Graphic.01

Will County Board Members Spar Over Wheatland Township Mental Health Grant

Will County Board Executive Committee Meeting | June 11, 2026 Article Summary: A $155,000 mental health grant to Wheatland Township drew sharp questioning at the Will County Board Executive Committee...
Parents group calls on Congress to examine fed funding of science academies

Parents group calls on Congress to examine fed funding of science academies

By Tate RosentreterThe Center Square The American Parents Coalition is calling on Congress to examine federal funding of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, stating in its letter...
Muslim man charged with terrorism, supporting Hamas

Muslim man charged with terrorism, supporting Hamas

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Another Muslim man has been charged with terrorism tied to a range of alleged crimes associated with claiming to raise support for charities and instead...
California Senate panel OKs bill helping overseas voters

California Senate panel OKs bill helping overseas voters

By Madeline ShannonThe Center Square Active-military voters stationed overseas, as well as expats, could more easily submit their ballots in elections if Senate Bill 970 passes in the California Legislature....
Congressional candidate caught in teen takeover

Congressional candidate caught in teen takeover

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – An Illinois candidate for Congress says a teen takeover arrived like a storm at a Chicago grocery...
U.S. lawmakers reach deal on key housing affordability bill

U.S. lawmakers reach deal on key housing affordability bill

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square In a rare instance of congressional unity, the House and Senate reached a bipartisan, bicameral agreement over legislation to boost housing supply and home ownership...
REPORT: 2M Illinoisans face $500 cut as Social Security faces cliff

REPORT: 2M Illinoisans face $500 cut as Social Security faces cliff

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – New data and reports from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget have shown that if no...

Illinois Quick Hits: Cook County announces $20M in CVI spending

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has announced $20 million of taxpayer funding for community violence intervention....
Rising prices growing concern in Illinois, U.S.

Rising prices growing concern in Illinois, U.S.

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – As voters express growing concern over inflation, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says federal policies are to blame....
Released version of US-Iran agreement allows more time for nuclear negotiations

Released version of US-Iran agreement allows more time for nuclear negotiations

By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square An unnamed senior administration official read the existing memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran to a group of reporters on Wednesday, a number...
Warsh shakes up Fed analysis, maintains interest rates

Warsh shakes up Fed analysis, maintains interest rates

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square The central bank would implement new task forces to aid in deciding monetary policy, Kevin Warsh, the new chairman of the Federal Reserve, said Wednesday....