Monday trial opening set for Alderman Patrick Daley Thompson, the only Daley to face federal charges
CHICAGO — The list of political heavyweights to face criminal prosecution at Chicago’s federal courthouse is dismally long and peppered with names such as Ryan, Blagojevich, Cellini, Vrdolyak, and Burke.
But there has never been a Daley — until now.
On Monday, Chicago Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, grandson and nephew of the city’s two longest-serving mayors, is scheduled to go on trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on charges alleging he lied on federal tax returns about a line of credit he received from a Bridgeport bank that later collapsed.
A pool of prospective jurors reported to the courthouse Friday morning to take COVID-19 tests and fill out a questionnaire. Jury selection and opening statements are set for Monday.
In demanding a trial just months after being indicted, Thompson, 52, who represents the 11th Ward where the Daley family built its once-formidable political machine, will be the first sitting alderman to face a jury since the Operation Silver Shovel probe more than two decades ago.
But even more importantly, Thompson will be the first member of the Daley clan ever tried on federal charges — a prospect that would
