A federal Grand Jury in Chicago has followed up U. S.
Attorney criminal informations with indictments of Elizabeth Perino and Anthony
Capello, owners of two sham minority subcontracting firms which posed as woman
owned businesses on City of Chicago construction contracts, but passed through
more than $200 million of actual work to non-monority or woman owned firms, in
violation of set aside rules.
Tracking criminal informations unsealed last month,
the indictments accuse three subcontractors on City of Chicago contracts worth
millions of dollars of defrauding the taxpayers by falsely claiming to have
worked as certified woman owned or disadvantaaged businesses for which a percentage
of work is set aside in City of Chicago contracting requirements. Perdel
Contracting and Accurate Steel Installers, owned by Elizabeth Perino of
Lockport and Diamond Coring, owned by Anthony Cappello of Homer Glen, are
accused of submitting false invoices and purchase orders in support of minority
and disadvantaged business set aside requirements on City of Chicago contracts
with McHugh Construction Company. McHugh has not been accused of wrongdoing in
the criminal charges.
Responding to the indictments, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel
pledged to appropriate $11 million for better oversight of the city’ construction
set asides.
