The local government corruption in Harvey, Illinois has been exposed. The case reveals how money, power, and law enforcement are intertwined.
The former Mayor Kellogg is alleged to have accepted payments from Arnie’s Idle Hour, a strip club, in exchange for overseeing the operation of a prostitution network.
The former mayor of Harvey, Illinois, allegedly renounced prostitution at a local strip club in exchange for money. In this case, the brother of an ex-official was convicted in connection with what federal prosecutors called a long-running scam.
Eric Kellogg was not charged or mentioned in any court documents. Rommell Kellogg of Harvey, Illinois, was found guilty of five counts, including conspiracy to commit theft and intimidation and causing the use of facilities in interstate commerce to promote theft and intimidation.
The United States Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Illinois reports that Rommell was convicted of several counts including conspiracy to steal, intimidation, and extortion.
U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman did not immediately set a sentencing date.
Evidence presented at trial revealed that Kellogg and a co-conspirator, COREY JOHNSON, 68, of Dolton, Ill., are cousins whose relatives served in high-ranking positions in Harvey government. From 2003 to 2018, Kellogg and Johnson conspired to regularly demand and collect payments from a Harvey strip club based on threats that the city of Harvey would potentially interfere with the club’s operations if the payments were not made. In exchange for the payments, the business was allowed to continue to operate, even though the conspirators and others knew that acts of prostitution were occurring onsite.
The Justice Department has focused on Rommell and others, it has not targeted Eric Kellogg.
The complaint does not include Eric Kellogg. The complaint only refers to him as “Individual A”, but he is accused of being involved in the shakedown.
In the complaint, it was stated that payments had been made over five years.
In a federal complaint filed in 2019, it is stated that the former Harvey mayor and his brother were demanding $3,000 per month in payments. This amount was then doubled around 2007 or 2008. When the club owners refused to pay, the Harvey Police officer shut down the business. The role of law enforcement is evident in this scheme.
From 2003 to 2017, the mayor received about $500,000.
The city’s government is accused of turning a blind eye to prostitution at the strip club but has aggressively pursued prostitution elsewhere. In reverse stings, a female officer poses as a prostitute undercover to lure men into buying sex.
You can see corruption in your local government by looking no further than the area where you live. The mayor, his friends, and others used their positions to get a monthly salary from a company that ran a prostitution ring while arresting people for the same crime.
Unfortunately, corrupt local officials are not always held accountable for the actions they take. Perhaps if we paid more attention to what was happening in our communities this situation would not exist.
