First trial in Illinois driver’s license scandal nears court

Mike Robinson

Monday, May 22, 2000 | 8:54 a.m.

CHICAGO - They were immigrants eager for well-paying jobs as truck drivers but spoke little or no English and had virtually no hope of passing the long, complex tests on safety and mechanical matters.

So, federal prosecutors say, the hundreds of license seekers paid bribes to state workers who in return coached the applicants or just filled in answers for them.

The state workers who then funneled some of the payoff money into the campaign fund of Gov. George Ryan are expected to testify this week as the first trial in the Illinois drivers license scandal gets under way.

Federal prosecutors estimate more than $170,000 went into the fund for Ryan, who was then secretary of state. Thirty-one people have been charged, and 26 have pleaded guilty.

Ryan says he was unaware at the time of what U.S. Attorney Scott Lassar calls "widespread corruption."

Among the accused is Alex Mcleczynsky, a Polish driving instructor who goes on trial Tuesday on charges of conspiracy and extortion. Mcleczynsky, 37, is a little-known figure whose alleged activities are far from the heart of the case.

Federal law requires the drivers of semitrailers to speak English well enough to handle safety problems.

Mcleczynsky is accused of slipping $600 bribes to a 76-year-old woman named Carmen Fajdich, who had retired from the secretary of state's office and allegedly found a niche delivering payoff money.

Defense attorneys say Mcleczynsky was a victim of extortion on the part of secretary of state's employees and had to pay to get licenses for his driving students. But prosecutors say Mcleczynsky could not be a victim since he kept some of the cash.

Fajdich sent applicants to Mary Ann Mastrodomenico, manager of the suburban Melrose Park licensing center, or one of her assistants, Phyllis Volpe. All three have pleaded guilty to racketeering. Mastrodomenico and Volpe are expected to be prosecution witnesses at this trial, as is Tammy Raynor, the whistle-blower who was crucial in breaking open the investigation.

Mcleczynsky has not denied money changed hands. Prosecutors not only have witnesses who handled the money but also secretly made tape recordings that indicate payoffs took place.

Prosecutors gave a glimpse into the evidence in recent court papers. They said Mastrodomenico and Volpe each got $100 tickets for Ryan's spring fund-raiser and $250 tickets for his summer fund-raiser. They said Mastrodomenico typically sold 100 tickets for the spring event and eight to 10 tickets for Ryan's summer festivities.

Sales by Mastrodomenico alone when she was Melrose Park manager came to $50,000, according to court papers.

"Each believed that the amount of tickets she successfully sold for Citizens for Ryan fund-raisers were considerations in promotion decisions and performance evaluation," prosecutors said in the court papers.

The papers also contained hints of testimony that, if it emerges, could embarrass some state political leaders.

"On more than one occasion ... supervisory personnel provided Mastrodomenico campaign tickets to sell for other Republican Party candidates," they said.