Flashback:Tony Rezko's Ties to Proposed Casino With Ties to the Chicago Mob; FBI memos say people linked to Emerald investors had mob ties

Flashback June 1, 2005 to this AP story that appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times:

Two FBI memos that the Illinois Gaming Board has relied on to argue that Emerald Casino's gambling license should be revoked contain allegations that two people associated with Emerald investors also have ties to organized crime, according to testimony Wednesday.

The FBI memos from November 2000, which were commissioned by the Gaming Board, said Nick Boscarino and Vito Salamone have ties to La Cosa Nostra (LCN), an organized crime group. The Sherri Boscarino Trust and Salamone's brother, Joseph, were investors in Emerald.

There's more concerning testimony of gaming board administrator, Sergio Acosta:

Acosta also testified that Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a businessman and close adviser to Gov. Rod Blagojevich whose government business deals have come under scrutiny recently, indicated he was interested in becoming an investor in Emerald but never completed the required paperwork.

No comment on this from Eric Holder, or Chicago Mob boss John "No Nose" DiFronzo. But Roger Ebert's wife, Chaz Ebert, commented on the Rosemont casino situation:

"I feel like a victim," investor Chaz Ebert, wife of Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert, told reporters after the Gaming Board voted 5-0 to kill the Rosemont deal.

"We're like innocent bystanders," she said. "I feel like I have been run over by a train. When IBM goes into business, do you call that a gamble? Simply because you're investing in a casino does not mean you're gambling. Believe me, I know the difference. It's foolish to say we're gambling."

The world of Illinois politics. Just think, the New York Times would rather go through Sarah Palin's e-mails than this story. But, there's a happy ending for some on the infamous casino that didn't make it to Rosemont. The proposed casino just opened up in Des Plaines : one block away from Rosemont and John " No Nose" DiFronzo and the rest of the Chicago Mob are welcome to enter the casino unlike some convicted felons.