Former Chicago Alderman Gets Probation in Operation Board Games Sentencing

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

Former Ald. Edward Vrdolyak (10th) was sentenced today to five years probation for fraud after a federal judge called prosecutors "greedy" for seeking 41 months in prison.

Vrdolyak has pleaded guilty to entering into a crooked deal involving the sale of a $15 million Gold Coast building belonging to the former Chicago Medical School, now the Rosalind Franklin School of Medicine and Science.

Vrdolyak and Stuart Levine, a board member for the school, steered the sale to Smithfield Properties and agreed to split a $1.5 million finder's fee that Vrdolyak negotiated.

But U.S. District Judge Milton Shadur said he would not consider the argument by prosecutors that the fee constituted a loss for the school.

Not much of a deterrent here.