More insight into recent FBI raids

Federal interest in gaming operator revealed with redactions removed from search warrant
Meanwhile, state Sen. Martin Sandoval has resigned as head of the Senate’s Transportation Committee.

By Jon Seidel and Tina Sfondeles Oct 11, 2019, 10:43am CDT
Illinois Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Cicero, argues mass transit funding legislation while on the Senate floor during session at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., Thursday, Jan. 17, 2008. Seth Perlman/AP

Interest by federal investigators in one of the state’s largest video gambling terminal operators was revealed Friday when state officials released documents without redactions from last month’s raid of the state Capitol.

Among the names listed in the document is Rick Heidner and his company Gold Rush Gaming. Heidner is involved in a new southwest suburban harness racing venture. The Illinois Racing Board approved a racing license for Playing in the Park LLC on Sept. 24 — the same day as the raid in Springfield.

When reached by phone by the Chicago Sun-Times, Heidner said he had not yet learned his name appeared on the document. He said no one had contacted him about it, and he said he had “zero clue” why his name would be there.

“Maybe it’s because, you know, I donate money politically and charitably,” Heidner said. “But I have no clue why my name would be on it at all.”

During the search, the feds zeroed in on the offices of state Sen. Martin Sandoval, who resigned Friday as chair of the Senate’s Transportation Committee in a two-sentence letter, according to an official.

Federal agents sought a broad array of other items at the Capitol last month, naming several individuals in a search warrant released Friday without redactions.

Among the other names that drew federal interest are Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski and his chief of staff, Patrick Doherty, officials for the politically connected red-light camera company SafeSpeed, a cigar lounge in Countryside and asphalt king Michael Vondra.

The Sun-Times has previously identified the cigar lounge as the Casa De Montecristo, an establishment frequented by SafeSpeed investor Omar Maani and numerous public officials, including Tobolski and Cicero Mayor Larry Dominick.


The feds also sought items related to ComEd and Exelon, which has acknowledged receiving multiple subpoenas from the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago. A second grand jury subpoena has also been issued to both companies, which are also named in the Sandoval document.

Last week, state officials released a heavily redacted version of the federal search warrant documents from the Sept. 24 search of Sandoval’s office in Springfield. The documents revealed that FBI agents had been looking for evidence of kickbacks in exchange for official actions as well as information related to five Illinois Department of Transportation employees and several lobbyists.

Senate Democrats on Friday released a largely unredacted version of the Sandoval search warrant, saying there was no longer opposition from the U.S. attorney’s office to release the information. There were earlier concerns that people and companies named in the warrant had not yet been searched or questioned by federal authorities. It was seen as a “roadmap” of where the feds were going in a sweeping investigation.

The feds followed up their raid on Sandoval’s offices by sweeping two days later through several southwest suburbs, including McCook, Lyons, Summit and Crestwood. Documents released by McCook show investigators had targeted the mayoral offices of McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski, who doubles as a Cook County commissioner. Tobolski is named in the unredacted document.

Items previously named in the documents included those related to a highway company, a construction company, “any business owned and controlled by Martin Sandoval,” several municipalities and a political organization, among other entities.

Federal agents obtained several items from Sandoval’s office, including several iPhones, a laptop computer and an Apple computer, as well as a “Friends of Martin Sandoval” spreadsheet from December 2017, a file labeled “IDOT,” USB drives and shredded paper. They also seized a statement of economic interest and documents referencing the town of Cicero. Sandoval has had a lucrative contract for years with the town to provide translation services for the town newsletter.

Agents also seized documents referencing Monarca Inc. and Sandoval’s wife, Marina. Marina Sandoval is president of Monarca Inc.

The feds followed up the search of Sandoval’s home and offices two days later with a sweep of the southwest suburbs. The Sun-Times has since reported that agents were asking about a politically connected red-light camera company, SafeSpeed LLC.

The company’s CEO, Nikki Zollar, told the Sun-Times “we don’t pay people off” and said she believes a SafeSpeed partner, Omar Maani, appears to be cooperating with the government.

Her company is “trying to find out what we need to do to distance ourselves from him,” she said.

“Our partner has run amok in some way,” Zollar said.

John Patterson, a spokesman for Illinois Senate President John Cullerton confirmed Friday that Sandoval had resigned his chairmanship of the Senate Transportation Committee. Cullerton and his top deputy had previously come under fire for taking a wait-and-see approach regarding whether Sandoval should keep the position.

“Clearly from a social justice perspective, I don’t feel comfortable calling for the punishment of someone who hasn’t been charged,” Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, told the Sun-Times on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Assistant Majority Leader Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, told the newspaper it’s time for Sandoval to step down.

“It would be wise for Marty Sandoval to step down as chair of the Transportation Committee while this investigation unfolds,” Harmon said.