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Chicago Thu Jan 15 2009
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The set-up bagman gets charged. Reporting by Dan Mihalopolous and Jeff Coen.
Federal prosecutors have quietly brought charges against a City Hall permit "expediter" who became a government mole at the center of a wide-ranging bribery probe.
Catherine Romasanta wore a wire and acted as a "bagman," carrying bribes from developers and contractors to corrupt building and zoning officials in Mayor Richard Daley's administration, according to court records and sources.
Romasanta was a key undercover operative in the Operation Crooked Code investigation, providing federal agents with information about bribery involving more than 30 people, records show. The probe is a joint operation by federal authorities and city Inspector General David Hoffman's office.
