East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks Jr.’ credibility took a major blow recently as his former Deputy Liquor Commissioner, Walter Hill, was indicted by a federal grand jury.
The four-count indictment charges that Hill made false statements to the FBI and IRS (punishable by a maximum of 5 years in prison), conspired to commit extortion under the color of official right (punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison), attempted extortion under color of official right (punishable by a maximum of 20 years) and corruptly demanded money and property intending to be influenced with the duties of Deputy Liquor of East St. Louis (punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison).
If convicted, each count carries a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release.
According to the feds, Hill, 31, used his office to shake down liquor license holders for money, booze and sexual favors. Hill, also, is accused of lying to both FBI and IRS officials regarding whether he had received money from ESL businesses or from a surrogate, described as “A.T.” in the indictment.
It would appear that, if these charges are true, Hill’s greed was only exceeded by his stupidity. For example, the indictment vividly describes episodes in which a co-owner of a liquor store, identified as “O.S.,” was repeatedly shaken down by Hill.
However, per the indictment, “O.S.” approached federal agents (in July of 2008) regarding Hill’s attempts to extort money. Hill, reportedly, shut down the store owned by “O.S.” for trivial infractions and was caught, on the store surveillance system, asking for $5,000 in exchange for allowing the store to remain open.
The shakedowns continued, according to the indictment, with “A.T.” making subsequent visits to collect on behalf of Hill. One episode even described Hill as receiving $2,080 for a liquor license, with Hill giving the city $700 and promptly depositing the balance in his sock.
Perhaps Hill was auditioning for an episode of “America’s dumbest ghetto politicians.” Whatever the case, I look forward to hearing Walter’s explanation, as if one could ever explain being caught red-handed on videotape.
Following the convictions of former ESL Director of Regulatory Affairs Kelvin Ellis – who, among other things, pimped women from City Hall – and ex-political boss Charlie Powell, who was convicted of vote fraud, Hill should know that the FBI and IRS don’t take kindly to liars and thieves.
Mayor Parks, in his usual display of selective outrage, expressed how “badly” he feels for those who may have been victimized and “for the credibility of the government.”
Parks admits that he had received numerous complaints about Hill. Yet, he did nothing to discipline or investigate Hill’s actions. Now, if these allegations are true, Parks is paying the price for his lack of leadership.
On Parks’ watch felons, connected with the vote-buying scandal of 2004, were re-hired at ESL City Hall and Parks said nothing.
Parks is always available to express his disappointment in the criminal culture of ESL politics. Yet, when he has an opportunity to speak out against felons who are recycled and rehired, as ESL city employees, he says (and does) nothing.
So Parks’ display of outrage and “feeling badly” rings hollow when one realizes that his own silence has been a contributing factor to the continuation and furtherance of political corruption in East Boogie – especially when federal indictments are directed toward those who are hand-picked by Parks himself.
According to sources, Hill has been running about town bragging that he won’t be the only one going to prison. Sounds like “Wally” has been doing some snitching in an effort to reduce his own sentence. Therefore, expect more indictments – and more embarrassment for Parks.
Personally, I’m stocking up on popcorn and soda, because Walter Hill’s trial is going to be better than any reality show on TV.