September 2009

Steamwood man accused of selling stolen items online

By Admin on September 30, 2009

A 38-year-old Streamwood man is accused of using his business to sell stolen items on the Internet, the FBI said this afternoon.

Ahmet M. Keskes, who operates Asena Corporation, was arrested Tuesday and charged with one count of mail fraud in the scheme.

The FBI alleged that between at least April and August, Keskes used the Shop Asena Web site along with various E-commerce sites to sell items well below normal retail price.

Items sold by Keskes, many of which were believed to have been stolen, include Victoria’s Secret fragrances; Callaway, Taylor Made and Ping golf clubs; Sylvania halogen headlights; and Innotech electronic dog collars.

Although Keskes is only charged with mail fraud for activity between April and August of this year, he has operated his online business and conducted Internet auctions since August 2005, the FBI said, with online sales totaling in the excess of $2 million.

Keskes appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlander Keyes late Tuesday and was ordered held in the Metropolitan Correctional Center without bail, pending his next court appearance 2 p.m. Friday.

–Staff report

Suburban man charged with possessing child porn

By Admin on September 30, 2009

The Daily Herald reports: Eric G. LePak, 57, of the 500 block of East 12th Avenue in Naperville has been charged with two counts of possession of child pornography, accused of having at least 300 images on his computer.

Get the full story: dailyherald.com

United Airlines parent announces stock, note sales

By Admin on September 30, 2009

UAL Corp. plans to sell at least 19 million shares and a minimum $175 million of 10-year notes, becoming the latest carrier to turn to the equity and bond markets to raise cash.

West Chicago man gets probation for holding 3 at gunpoint

By Admin on September 30, 2009

A West Chicago man who held three people at gunpoint after they tried to buy marijuana from him with counterfeit money was sentenced today to four years of probation.

Joshua Mannella, 19, could have faced a maximum 15-year prison sentence on the charge of attempted aggravated kidnapping, but Kane County Judge T. Jordan Gallagher said he took Mannella’s age — he was 16 at the time the crime was committed — into account.

“Nobody is an angel in this whole thing,” Gallagher said.

Mannella, who was charged as an adult, had pleaded guilty to holding the three people hostage for several hours at the St. Charles Township home of his mother after the drug deal went sour in November 2006. Mannella’s mother and boyfriend helped the teen hold the three. Mannella pepper-sprayed one of the victims during the incident, according to police.

“I never intended for things to get so messed up,” Mannella told the judge.

His attorney, Dean Kekos, placed much of the blame on Patrick Conlin, the now-former boyfriend of Mannella’s mother, Wilma. Conlin owned the firearms, Kekos said.

“When Mr. Conlin showed up with the guns, this was taken out of the 16-year-old’s hands,” he said.

Assistant State’s Atty. Mark Stajdohar asked the judge to impose an 8-year sentence, arguing that Mannella, his mother and Conlin all handled guns.

“This is a very serious crime — firearms, drugs and terroristic (sic) threats,” Stajdohar said. “This could have turned much worse because all the firearms were loaded.”

The judge ordered that the first six months of the Mannella’s probation be served on electronic home monitoring at his father’s residence. He was also ordered to pay $500 to the young woman he pepper sprayed.

Both Wilma Mannella and Conlin were convicted and sentenced to 6-month jail terms for their roles.

–Clifford Ward

Fla. man sentenced to death for killing 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford dies of natural causes

By Admin on September 30, 2009

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — John Evander Couey, a convicted sex offender awaiting execution for kidnapping, raping and burying 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford alive, died of natural causes Wednesday.

Chickens in two-flat may have been used for fights

By Admin on September 30, 2009

Police checking up on a man in a West Humboldt Park two-flat found him dead this morning, then discovered more than a dozen chickens in the basement — a few of them possibly used for fighting, police said.

Chicago Police Lt. Scott Schwieger said the 16 chickens were found along with coops and cages and appeared “well-cared for.”

Police and firefighters had gone to the building in the 1500 block of North Kolin Avenue about 9 a.m. to check up on a man staying there, Schwieger said. They found the man had apparently been dead for a number of days, he said.

The man, whose identity was not being released this afternoon but was said to be in his 50s, may have been “raising or watching” the animals, officials said. An autopsy for the man is scheduled for Thursday.

The animals have been turned over to the Chicago Commission on Animal Care and Control. Mark Rosenthal, the operations manager for the agency. He said at least three of the chickens were fully grown.

“They didn’t look in distress…They looked normal,” Rosenthal said.

If no one claims the chickens for seven days, they’ll become city property. The city will then make arrangements to transfer them to someone who can find them a home.

–Jeremy Gorner

Transportation Department holds summit to find ways of curbing cell phone use by drivers

By Admin on September 30, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) — Driving while distracted is a growing peril in a nation reluctant to put down its cell phones and handheld devices even behind the wheel, the Obama administration declared on Wednesday. Officials said Congress and the public must team up to reduce the danger.

Man arrested after prompting lockdown of schools

By Admin on September 30, 2009

A man, who police said may have been armed while on the loose in the southwest suburbs following a domestic-related spat, was in custody this afternoon.

Several schools in the southwest suburbs were on lockdown while police searched for the man, officials said.

About 2 p.m., Cook County sheriff’s deputies responded to the “domestic situation” in the Palos Heights area, said Lisa Gordon, a sheriff’s police spokeswoman. The man involved in the incident fled the scene, possibly with a weapon, she said.

As a safety precaution, several of the schools were placed on lockdown while the man was at large, Gordon said. She could not say which ones.

There were no reports of injuries in connection with the incident.

–Staff report

Buyer misses date to close post office sale

By Admin on September 30, 2009

British developer Bill Davies has not met today’s goal of closing on Chicago’s behemoth old post office, according to a statement released by the U.S. Postal Service.

Judge extends deadline in Motorola-Liska case

By Admin on September 30, 2009

Company given till Nov. 12 to produce communications tied to former CFO’s discharge

The first phase of discovery is drawing to a close in former Motorola chief financial officer Paul Liska’s retaliatory discharge case, with the judge setting a Nov. 12 deadline for the company to produce documents.