Criminal Element: Ill. Democrat Was Convicted Felon Before Being Elected

by Warner Todd Huston | March 17, 2011 1:28 pm

It has been revealed that Illinois State Representative Robert Rita was a convicted felon[1] before he ever ran for office for the fist time, a violation of state law. Being a convicted felon should have barred him from even running for office.

Lee Williams of the Illinois Policy Institute tells us that Rita, a Blue Island Democrat and a five-term state rep., has always been ineligible to seek elected office, absent a pardon.

Rita was convicted of DUI and attempted bribery in Nye County, Nevada in 1991. Lee Williams reports that this was confirmed by Jamie Kostiuk, a Nye County records clerk. Hard copies of the files, though, could not be located.

Lee Williams, however, tracked down some other sources of the conviction.

A law enforcement agency told the Institute that the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computer indicates that Rita was arrested for bribery and DUI in Nevada.

According to court documents obtained by the Illinois Policy Institute, Rita was convicted of Nevada’s “obstructing officers in service of process” statute–a felony.

He could have been sentenced to imprisonment, but instead received two years of probation. He was also ordered to perform 200 hours of community service, pay a $2,000 fine and participate in drug and alcohol counseling.

Naturally, all this was ignored by Democrats when Rita, a member of a politically connected southside family, ran for office. Also, just as naturally, Democrat Attorney General Lisa Madigan didn’t respond to the Ill. Policy Institute’s request for comment.

So what might be done about this?

According to a staff attorney at the Illinois State Board of Elections, Rita could be removed from his House seat by the Attorney General, or even a state’s attorney. He could also face perjury charges, because all candidates must attest in writing and under oath that they meet the legal requirements for office, each time they run.

Sadly this is just one more case of powerful Democrats ignoring the law and paying off their connected pals. It doesn’t matter to an Illinois Democrat what any law says. Laws are for other people.

Check out Lee Williams full report[2] on this appalling breach of the law and the public’s trust by Democrats.