Latest news with #ex-Illinois
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bill aimed at helping Illinois farmers control deer populations heads to Pritzker's desk
ILLINOIS (WCIA) — Legislation aimed at making it easier for residents to obtain a hunting permit — and to help control the deer population — has passed both the Illinois Senate and House, and is headed towards the governor's desk. Under Senate Bill 710, IDNR would implement new rules for the Deer Removal Permit. Landowners would be allowed to let other individuals 'destroy' deer responsible for damage under a permit given to the landowner. Legislature bumps right up against midnight deadline as they pass $55 billion budget And, landowner deer and turkey permits could be given for free to an Illinois resident that owns at least 40 acres of Illinois land and that wishes to hunt on their own land. Tenant deer and turkey permits could be given for free to Illinois residents that are living on at least 40 acres of commercial agricultural land, wishing to hunt on land they live on. The legislation would also allow for permits to automatically be issued, specifically for those who have effectively reduced the deer population, and other certain conditions. You can read more about those conditions here. Illinois Farm Bureau President Brian Duncan said this legislation will help farmers and address costly damage from deer. Prosecutors recommend 12.5 years in prison for ex-Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan 'Illinois farmers know all too well the costly damage nuisance deer can cause to crops and farmland,' Duncan said. 'This legislation will provide farmers with effective tools to help manage deer populations and protect farmland across the state. We thank Sen. Patrick Joyce and Rep. Marcus Evans for championing legislation that provides these practical tools, as well as the Illinois Department of Natural Resources [IDNR] for their efforts.' If Governor JB Pritzker signs Senate Bill 710 into law, it would be effective Jan. 1, 2026. You can read more about the legislation here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump's clemency spree extends to ex-gangster, artist, former congressmen
Since reclaiming the White House, Trump has deployed pardons in a wide-reaching campaign to recalibrate a justice system he calls corrupt and says politically persecuted him. Some of those pardoned were convicted of crimes similar to charges brought against him or his family business. Others repeatedly flexed their loyalty to his administration in public, hoping to stand out among the thousands of petitioners vying for his attention. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Trump pardoned a former US Army officer found guilty of refusing to follow coronavirus safety measures, a couple who admitted to knowingly employing a felon at their insurance company, and a popular hip-hop artist, NBA YoungBoy, who was convicted of gun charges, in addition to commuting the sentence of former Gangster Disciples leader Larry Hoover. Advertisement The pardons of former congressmen Michael Grimm of New York and John Rowland of Connecticut, who became the state's governor, brought the number of former Republican members of Congress Trump has pardoned while in office to nine. During his first term, Trump also commuted sentences of former Democratic elected officials, including ex-Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who was found guilty of trying to sell a US Senate seat, and the ex-mayor of Detroit Kwame Kilpatrick, who was sentenced to 28 years in prison for crimes including fraud and racketeering. He granted Blagojevich a full pardon in February. Advertisement Grimm, who served seven months in prison for tax fraud and was released in 2016, gained national attention after being caught on camera threatening a reporter who asked about the federal investigation, saying, 'I'll break you in half. Like a boy.' He has expressed steady public support for the Trump administration in posts to social media, including one of himself in August beside a horse wearing a 'Trump 2024' hat. Neither Grimm nor his attorney responded to requests for comment. Rowland, who served as Connecticut's governor from 1995 to 2004, was twice convicted on corruption-related charges: once for accepting illegal gifts and improvements to his private home from state contractors while he was governor, and then for violating campaign finance laws. 'I am very humbled and deeply appreciative,' Rowland said in a statement to Eyewitness News on Wednesday. 'I have been blessed with a wonderful family and friends that have been through a great deal over the years. This is a wonderful final resolution.' Hoover, whose clemency was first reported by Notus, was convicted in 1997 of conspiracy, extortion, money laundering, and running Chicago's Gangster Disciples — the culmination of a 17-year investigation into the criminal organization. At that time, he was already serving a 200-year sentence for killing a neighborhood drug dealer. Advertisement He later renounced the gang and requested a shorter sentence under the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice bill passed during Trump's first term. In a celebratory post to X, a lawyer for Hoover, Justin Moore, called on the state of Illinois to drop Hoover's murder charges, which would keep him behind bars despite the president's commutation. NBA YoungBoy, whose name is Kentrell Gaulden, was involved in a still-unresolved shootout outside the Trump International Beach Resort in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., in 2019 that left a man dead. His Louisiana attorney told the Miami Herald that the rapper — who offered to pay for the slain man's funeral — was the target of an assassination attempt. Earlier this week, Trump announced that he planned to pardon reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were found guilty of fraud and tax evasion, and a former Virginia sheriff who was convicted of taking cash bribes in exchange for appointing deputy sheriffs without training or vetting. He signed the Chrisleys' legal documents Wednesday. The Chrisleys' daughter was a speaker at the 2024 Republican National Convention, where she said Democrats 'consistently punish their enemies' and praised Trump as the man best equipped to expose what she called their corruption. Addressing reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said he is considering additional pardons for the men convicted in the kidnapping plot against Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. 'I will take a look at it. It's been brought to my attention,' Trump said. 'I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job.' Among his first officials acts as president was to pardon virtually all of the nearly 1,600 defendants convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by a mob of his supporters and to commute the sentences of the remaining 14. Weeks earlier, former President Joe Biden had issued preemptive pardons to his siblings and their spouses, saying he feared they would be targeted for political reasons by the new administration. Advertisement Biden also issued unprecedented preemptive pardons for others he said needed protection: retired General Mark A. Milley, a vocal critic of Trump; Anthony S. Fauci, who spearheaded the country's pandemic response; members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack; and police officers who testified before the committee. This week's clemency spree landed as Ed Martin, a staunch defender of Jan. 6 defendants who fell short as Trump's pick to lead the U.S. attorney's office in D.C., which oversaw those prosecutions, was ceremonially sworn in as the Justice Department's pardons attorney. 'Freedom for Captives!' he wrote on X.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Feds will no longer seek $3M from convicted ex-Speaker Mike Madigan
The Brief Federal prosecutors say they will no longer seek a $3 million forfeiture from convicted ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Madigan was convicted of bribery and conspiracy charges earlier this year. CHICAGO - Federal prosecutors announced they will no longer seek a multi-million dollar forfeiture from convicted ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. The shift comes after a change in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Northern Illinois. The backstory The feds were seeking to get more than $3 million back from Madigan after he was convicted of bribery and conspiracy earlier this year. The forfeiture included payments made to allies of the once-powerful speaker. But a new motion from the government said they will no longer pursue any forfeiture judgement "as a matter of discretion." The reversal comes with a new U.S. attorney in Chicago, Andrew Boutros. The assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted Madigan is gone after taking a federal employee buyout from the Trump administration. What's next Next up, Madigan is expected to be sentenced in June.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The president's latest pardon: ‘Lady Trump'
President Donald Trump has pardoned a former Las Vegas City Council member and one-time Nevada gubernatorial candidate who was found guilty of fraud last year, the latest example of the president using his pardon power to reward allies. Michele Fiore — who has occasionally been dubbed 'Lady Trump' — was convicted in October of using $70,000 she solicited to build a memorial for two fallen police officers on personal expenses, including political fundraising bills and rent payments. Last week, a judge dismissed her request for a new trial and scheduled her sentencing for May 14. Trump pardoned Fiore Wednesday, according to court documents filed Thursday by Fiore's attorneys. Trump has extensively wielded his pardon power in his second term, using it to spare political allies and those he feels were dealt with unfairly by federal law enforcement. In March, he granted clemency to two former Hunter Biden associates who assisted Republicans during their failed impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. He pardoned ex-Illinois governor and former "Celebrity Apprentice" guest Rod Blagojevich in February after commuting his sentence in 2020. And in January, shortly after retaking the White House, Trump issued sweeping pardons for 1,500 people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Fiore's pardon. Fiore served in the Nevada state Legislature from 2012 to 2016 and in the Las Vegas City Council from 2017 to 2022. She launched a brief run for governor in 2021 before switching to a state treasurer run. She narrowly lost the November 2022 general election. She was convicted in October of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six counts of wire fraud, and faced a maximum penalty of over 100 years in prison
Politico
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Politico
The president's latest pardon: ‘Lady Trump'
President Donald Trump has pardoned a former Las Vegas City Council member and one-time Nevada gubernatorial candidate who was found guilty of fraud last year, the latest example of the president using his pardon power to reward allies. Michele Fiore — who has occasionally been dubbed ' Lady Trump ' — was convicted in October of using $70,000 she solicited to build a memorial for two fallen police officers on personal expenses, including political fundraising bills and rent payments. Last week, a judge dismissed her request for a new trial and scheduled her sentencing for May 14. Trump pardoned Fiore Wednesday , according to court documents filed Thursday by Fiore's attorneys. Trump has extensively wielded his pardon power in his second term, using it to spare political allies and those he feels were dealt with unfairly by federal law enforcement. In March, he granted clemency to two former Hunter Biden associates who assisted Republicans during their failed impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. He pardoned ex-Illinois governor and former 'Celebrity Apprentice' guest Rod Blagojevich in February after commuting his sentence in 2020 . And in January, shortly after retaking the White House, Trump issued sweeping pardons for 1,500 people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Fiore's pardon. Fiore served in the Nevada state Legislature from 2012 to 2016 and in the Las Vegas City Council from 2017 to 2022. She launched a brief run for governor in 2021 before switching to a state treasurer run. She narrowly lost the November 2022 general election. She was convicted in October of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six counts of wire fraud, and faced a maximum penalty of over 100 years in prison
