1 00:00:15,316 --> 00:00:23,476 Speaker 1: Pushkin Jake Alpern here before we get started, I wanted 2 00:00:23,516 --> 00:00:26,276 Speaker 1: you to know that deep Cover Season two will be 3 00:00:26,356 --> 00:00:31,436 Speaker 1: dropping weekly on Mondays, but the full season is available 4 00:00:31,796 --> 00:00:36,356 Speaker 1: right now ad free for Pushkin Plus subscribers. That's all 5 00:00:36,396 --> 00:00:40,956 Speaker 1: ten episodes right away. Fine Pushkin Plus on the deep 6 00:00:40,996 --> 00:00:52,996 Speaker 1: Cover show page in Apple Podcasts, or at Pushkin dot Fm. 7 00:00:53,036 --> 00:00:57,076 Speaker 1: Previously on deep Cover. I had a couple of lawyers, 8 00:00:57,076 --> 00:00:59,356 Speaker 1: but I would always say Bob Coole he was the best. 9 00:01:00,076 --> 00:01:02,356 Speaker 1: I mean, he was good at pukskin cases, and they 10 00:01:02,436 --> 00:01:04,956 Speaker 1: knew how good he was, and he was the fixture 11 00:01:05,036 --> 00:01:07,676 Speaker 1: he was to be with the guy. By the early 12 00:01:07,796 --> 00:01:12,516 Speaker 1: nineteen eighties, Cooley had established himself as mister Fixett, a 13 00:01:12,596 --> 00:01:14,676 Speaker 1: guy the mob called if one of their own was 14 00:01:14,716 --> 00:01:18,156 Speaker 1: in trouble, and Bob was also learning that working for 15 00:01:18,196 --> 00:01:23,516 Speaker 1: the mob came with rules, but sometimes Bob broke them. 16 00:01:23,596 --> 00:01:26,556 Speaker 1: I said, if anybody thinks for one second, I'm gonna 17 00:01:26,556 --> 00:01:30,316 Speaker 1: even take up beating. I said, you know they're thinking wrong, 18 00:01:30,796 --> 00:01:32,756 Speaker 1: I said, And if I think I got a problem 19 00:01:32,756 --> 00:01:34,316 Speaker 1: with you, who I said, You're going to have the 20 00:01:34,316 --> 00:01:38,996 Speaker 1: fucking problem. And eventually they would have a problem with Bob, 21 00:01:39,436 --> 00:01:43,236 Speaker 1: a very big one, but for the time being, Bob 22 00:01:43,636 --> 00:01:51,436 Speaker 1: was still their guy. In the nineteen eighties, Chicago was 23 00:01:51,476 --> 00:01:56,436 Speaker 1: corruption city, USA. Corruption was so insidious that over time 24 00:01:56,796 --> 00:02:00,796 Speaker 1: some people stopped thinking about bribery itself as even being wrong. 25 00:02:01,556 --> 00:02:04,596 Speaker 1: It was kind of like a stop sign that fades 26 00:02:04,796 --> 00:02:08,476 Speaker 1: and rusts and gradually gets ignored until no one even 27 00:02:08,516 --> 00:02:12,156 Speaker 1: thinks about slowing down at the intersection anymore. No one, 28 00:02:12,356 --> 00:02:18,436 Speaker 1: that is, except for this guy. I believed in God, 29 00:02:18,676 --> 00:02:23,716 Speaker 1: motherhood in the flag and thought crime and corruption could 30 00:02:23,756 --> 00:02:27,996 Speaker 1: be dealt with. This is mort Friedman. He's in his 31 00:02:28,036 --> 00:02:31,516 Speaker 1: eighties now and long retired, but back in his heyday, 32 00:02:31,796 --> 00:02:35,476 Speaker 1: he was a prosecutor at the Cook County States Attorney's Office. 33 00:02:35,596 --> 00:02:39,556 Speaker 1: I doubt if anyone ever entered that office more naive 34 00:02:39,676 --> 00:02:43,716 Speaker 1: than I was. I thought I could do good. I 35 00:02:43,836 --> 00:02:47,436 Speaker 1: thought I could help clean up crime. I thought I 36 00:02:47,476 --> 00:02:50,596 Speaker 1: could make the streets safe for women and little children. 37 00:02:51,156 --> 00:02:55,636 Speaker 1: And I went in there just a babe in the woods, 38 00:02:55,956 --> 00:03:01,596 Speaker 1: absolute babe in the woods. His job was basically prosecuting 39 00:03:01,596 --> 00:03:05,756 Speaker 1: criminals for a range of misdeeds, anything from theft to murder. 40 00:03:06,436 --> 00:03:09,756 Speaker 1: Morton never tried a case against Bob, but he easily 41 00:03:09,796 --> 00:03:13,876 Speaker 1: could have. They were cogs in the same machine grinding away. 42 00:03:14,556 --> 00:03:17,396 Speaker 1: Mort says he remembers his early days as a prosecutor 43 00:03:17,836 --> 00:03:22,116 Speaker 1: very fondly. Oh, it was wonderful. I had a courtroom 44 00:03:22,116 --> 00:03:26,916 Speaker 1: with a judge who was soft spoken, polite. I was 45 00:03:26,996 --> 00:03:30,916 Speaker 1: doing exceptionally while as a trial lawyer. And yet it 46 00:03:30,956 --> 00:03:34,796 Speaker 1: wasn't all perfect. There was this one defense lawyer that 47 00:03:34,916 --> 00:03:37,796 Speaker 1: Mort kept on going up against. I knew I was 48 00:03:37,836 --> 00:03:41,996 Speaker 1: going to lose. It didn't matter how well I prepared 49 00:03:42,076 --> 00:03:45,556 Speaker 1: the witnesses, how well I argued emotion I knew I 50 00:03:45,636 --> 00:03:48,916 Speaker 1: was going to lose. Mort began to suspect the judge 51 00:03:48,996 --> 00:03:52,236 Speaker 1: was being paid off. After all, this was Chicago, and 52 00:03:52,316 --> 00:03:56,316 Speaker 1: this particular defense lawyer allegedly had mob ties. Even so, 53 00:03:56,756 --> 00:04:00,196 Speaker 1: More kept trying his best to win. And then one 54 00:04:00,276 --> 00:04:06,716 Speaker 1: day after work he had this epiphany. I was alone 55 00:04:06,756 --> 00:04:09,356 Speaker 1: in the courtroom. It was a way past quitting time. 56 00:04:09,716 --> 00:04:13,396 Speaker 1: I was preparing for the next day, and it suddenly 57 00:04:13,476 --> 00:04:17,036 Speaker 1: dawned on me and I stood there thinking, I'm a pimp. 58 00:04:18,236 --> 00:04:21,396 Speaker 1: The better I prepare, the harder I try. All I 59 00:04:21,436 --> 00:04:23,596 Speaker 1: can do is drive up the price of the bribe 60 00:04:23,596 --> 00:04:29,036 Speaker 1: to the judge. And it was a heartbreaking and devastating thought. 61 00:04:29,676 --> 00:04:34,076 Speaker 1: A realization it was just heartbreaking. Mort couldn't stomach it 62 00:04:34,116 --> 00:04:39,156 Speaker 1: any longer, and apparently his frustration showed, because shortly after this, 63 00:04:39,756 --> 00:04:42,996 Speaker 1: the judge leaned over the dais and looked at me 64 00:04:43,036 --> 00:04:46,196 Speaker 1: and said, Mart, you've been acting surly lately. I don't 65 00:04:46,236 --> 00:04:52,636 Speaker 1: think I care for your attitude. And I said to him, well, Judged, 66 00:04:53,316 --> 00:04:55,556 Speaker 1: I don't care for the way you jump all over me. 67 00:04:55,756 --> 00:05:00,756 Speaker 1: When this lawyer walks into the courtroom, I named him. 68 00:05:00,916 --> 00:05:04,236 Speaker 1: The judge, quiet and soft spoken as ever, said Mort, 69 00:05:04,316 --> 00:05:07,476 Speaker 1: I think you ought to get another courtroom. I said, Judge, 70 00:05:07,516 --> 00:05:11,116 Speaker 1: I think you're right, and put my files down and 71 00:05:11,156 --> 00:05:16,196 Speaker 1: walked out. Corruption City, USA be damned. Mort was going 72 00:05:16,236 --> 00:05:19,396 Speaker 1: to try to change the system, So get ready. In 73 00:05:19,476 --> 00:05:21,756 Speaker 1: this episode, I'm going to tell you the story of 74 00:05:21,796 --> 00:05:25,596 Speaker 1: the crusaders who tried to end corruption in Chicago years 75 00:05:25,676 --> 00:05:29,756 Speaker 1: before Bob ever tried. It was a massive undertaking. The 76 00:05:29,876 --> 00:05:34,036 Speaker 1: FBI eventually got involved, marshaling hundreds of agents. They were 77 00:05:34,156 --> 00:05:37,436 Speaker 1: going to war, and in a way, this all set 78 00:05:37,476 --> 00:05:40,316 Speaker 1: the stage for Bob to make the most important decision 79 00:05:40,356 --> 00:06:08,796 Speaker 1: of his life to switch sides. I'm Jake Halbern and 80 00:06:09,476 --> 00:06:14,636 Speaker 1: is deep Cover mob Land. Episode five, The Babe in 81 00:06:14,716 --> 00:06:39,196 Speaker 1: the woods. In the Hollywood version of this story, when 82 00:06:39,236 --> 00:06:42,516 Speaker 1: Mort Friedman squared off with that judge in the courtroom, 83 00:06:42,636 --> 00:06:45,876 Speaker 1: you'd hear the inspirational music and then you'd seem Mort 84 00:06:46,356 --> 00:06:49,996 Speaker 1: hatching his plan to change the world. But it didn't 85 00:06:49,996 --> 00:06:54,836 Speaker 1: happen like that. Instead, Mort just switched courtrooms, kept trying 86 00:06:54,836 --> 00:06:57,476 Speaker 1: to do his best as a prosecutor, to win the 87 00:06:57,516 --> 00:07:00,636 Speaker 1: cases he could and to be honorable in a system 88 00:07:00,676 --> 00:07:05,316 Speaker 1: that he knew was fundamentally corrupt. I was absolutely convinced 89 00:07:05,316 --> 00:07:08,076 Speaker 1: at that point, did you share this with anyone, like 90 00:07:08,156 --> 00:07:11,036 Speaker 1: even your wife? Did you shared this with anyone? With 91 00:07:11,236 --> 00:07:15,396 Speaker 1: no one? Why is that a certain cowardice on my part, 92 00:07:15,876 --> 00:07:18,596 Speaker 1: need to keep a job and not wanting to rock 93 00:07:18,716 --> 00:07:22,476 Speaker 1: the boat, not wanting to be an outcast. The trial 94 00:07:22,556 --> 00:07:28,476 Speaker 1: courts at that point were a white Christian enclave, and 95 00:07:28,556 --> 00:07:32,476 Speaker 1: there were one or two other assistants who didn't care 96 00:07:32,516 --> 00:07:35,636 Speaker 1: for this jew on the floor. Mort says he overheard 97 00:07:35,636 --> 00:07:39,556 Speaker 1: a few colleagues make anti Semitic remarks. As he saw it, 98 00:07:39,956 --> 00:07:43,076 Speaker 1: this only added his sense that he shouldn't rock the 99 00:07:43,116 --> 00:07:46,996 Speaker 1: boat and make enemies. Even so, I asked him if 100 00:07:46,996 --> 00:07:51,396 Speaker 1: his decision to stay quiet left him feeling guilty or 101 00:07:51,396 --> 00:07:56,556 Speaker 1: worse yet complicit. Certainly. In fact, I still feel that way. 102 00:07:56,756 --> 00:07:59,436 Speaker 1: There were things I could have done much better. In 103 00:07:59,436 --> 00:08:02,276 Speaker 1: this way, Mort is kind of the opposite of Bob Cooley, 104 00:08:02,836 --> 00:08:10,676 Speaker 1: constitutionally incapable of giving himself a pass. Mort eventually became 105 00:08:10,716 --> 00:08:14,476 Speaker 1: the chief of the Criminal Division for Cook County. By population, 106 00:08:14,676 --> 00:08:17,476 Speaker 1: Cook County is the biggest in Illinois and the second 107 00:08:17,516 --> 00:08:21,516 Speaker 1: biggest in the United States. Mort oversaw the prosecution of 108 00:08:21,556 --> 00:08:24,756 Speaker 1: thousands of felonies and misdemeanors each year. It was a 109 00:08:24,916 --> 00:08:29,476 Speaker 1: huge job. Then one day in nineteen seventy three, Mort 110 00:08:29,556 --> 00:08:32,116 Speaker 1: was hard at work at his desk when a young 111 00:08:32,196 --> 00:08:37,076 Speaker 1: police officer appeared silently in his doorway, waiting to be noticed. 112 00:08:38,236 --> 00:08:42,556 Speaker 1: And when I looked up, he said, mister Friedman, my 113 00:08:42,676 --> 00:08:46,356 Speaker 1: supervisor ordered me to come here. I've been offered a 114 00:08:46,396 --> 00:08:52,876 Speaker 1: bribe to flippercase. The CoP's name was Jose Martinez. He 115 00:08:52,916 --> 00:08:56,316 Speaker 1: looked young and a bit nervous. Standing in the doorway, 116 00:08:56,556 --> 00:09:00,076 Speaker 1: he gave Mort the lowdown. The case at hand involved 117 00:09:00,076 --> 00:09:03,636 Speaker 1: an assault charge. Officer. Martinez was the cop who showed 118 00:09:03,676 --> 00:09:06,316 Speaker 1: up on the scene and made the arrest. Now the 119 00:09:06,356 --> 00:09:09,796 Speaker 1: defense attorney was asking him to pull some chinne nigans 120 00:09:09,836 --> 00:09:12,716 Speaker 1: and helped make the case go away so his client, 121 00:09:13,036 --> 00:09:17,556 Speaker 1: the assaulter, could get off. After hearing all this, Mort 122 00:09:17,676 --> 00:09:21,156 Speaker 1: told the cop officer, I want you to do what 123 00:09:21,156 --> 00:09:24,396 Speaker 1: you're told to do, and say what you're told to say, 124 00:09:24,516 --> 00:09:28,076 Speaker 1: and bring me back the money. That's right. Mort told 125 00:09:28,076 --> 00:09:32,156 Speaker 1: the cop to take the bribe. Officer Martinez, to his credit, 126 00:09:32,636 --> 00:09:35,756 Speaker 1: pushed back. He said, mister Friedman, I can't do that. 127 00:09:35,876 --> 00:09:39,476 Speaker 1: I'd be lying in court. Mort was kind of amazed 128 00:09:39,516 --> 00:09:42,196 Speaker 1: that the cop stood his ground. No, not just amazed, 129 00:09:42,596 --> 00:09:47,916 Speaker 1: he was secretly delighted. Here's a young Chicago cop telling 130 00:09:47,916 --> 00:09:50,436 Speaker 1: the chief of the criminal Division, I don't care what 131 00:09:50,556 --> 00:09:53,516 Speaker 1: you say. I'm not going to lie in court. Looking back, 132 00:09:53,636 --> 00:09:56,796 Speaker 1: Mort says he should have congratulated Martinez for wanting to 133 00:09:56,796 --> 00:10:00,076 Speaker 1: do the right thing. But that's not what I did. Wait, 134 00:10:00,596 --> 00:10:05,476 Speaker 1: what did you do? In a conversation that was very 135 00:10:05,556 --> 00:10:11,316 Speaker 1: loud and replete with upset of these, I told him 136 00:10:11,356 --> 00:10:13,436 Speaker 1: what I would do to him and his career if 137 00:10:13,476 --> 00:10:16,316 Speaker 1: he defied me. Why did you do that? I had 138 00:10:16,396 --> 00:10:21,356 Speaker 1: handed up to my eyeballs with corruption. I knew something 139 00:10:21,476 --> 00:10:28,516 Speaker 1: had to be done. See. Mort had a plan right 140 00:10:28,556 --> 00:10:31,756 Speaker 1: there on the spot. Totally spontaneously. He'd come up with 141 00:10:31,796 --> 00:10:35,876 Speaker 1: an idea for a sting operation. It was both inspired 142 00:10:36,236 --> 00:10:39,476 Speaker 1: and a bit reckless. Mort didn't bother to get permission, 143 00:10:39,636 --> 00:10:43,196 Speaker 1: didn't map out all the possible consequences. He just wanted 144 00:10:43,196 --> 00:10:45,036 Speaker 1: to do something, damn it, even if he had to 145 00:10:45,076 --> 00:10:49,076 Speaker 1: put Officer Martinez in a very uncomfortable situation. Did you 146 00:10:49,156 --> 00:10:55,436 Speaker 1: have any sense that maybe you'd opened to Pandora's box 147 00:10:55,596 --> 00:10:58,436 Speaker 1: or started something that might end up being a big deal. 148 00:10:59,356 --> 00:11:02,156 Speaker 1: I didn't care. It didn't matter at all to me 149 00:11:02,236 --> 00:11:05,156 Speaker 1: at that point. I wasn't going to be a kemp. 150 00:11:05,916 --> 00:11:09,116 Speaker 1: Now for his plan to work, he needed Officer Martinez 151 00:11:09,236 --> 00:11:12,916 Speaker 1: Is to take the money and lie in court. That way, 152 00:11:12,996 --> 00:11:16,156 Speaker 1: the government could prosecute the lawyer who made the payoff. 153 00:11:16,716 --> 00:11:20,476 Speaker 1: Did Officer Martinez understand what your game plan was? Did 154 00:11:20,516 --> 00:11:23,756 Speaker 1: he understand that you were out to catch corruption or 155 00:11:23,756 --> 00:11:26,836 Speaker 1: did he think that you were corrupt yourself? I don't know. 156 00:11:27,396 --> 00:11:29,916 Speaker 1: I mean, in retrospect, I shouldn't have done that. I 157 00:11:29,956 --> 00:11:36,116 Speaker 1: should have just patiently explained to him what I wanted done. Eventually, 158 00:11:36,316 --> 00:11:39,316 Speaker 1: Officer Martinez figures out what mord Is up to, so 159 00:11:39,476 --> 00:11:43,356 Speaker 1: he plays a long lies in court and instructed, and 160 00:11:43,396 --> 00:11:46,716 Speaker 1: then afterwards, when he goes to collect his bribe, he 161 00:11:46,756 --> 00:11:51,516 Speaker 1: wears a wire and the result was a tape recording 162 00:11:52,156 --> 00:11:56,876 Speaker 1: a dead bank crime on tape, a deadbang crime on tape. Bingo. Right, 163 00:11:57,276 --> 00:12:00,676 Speaker 1: Mark went up for the good guys, only not really. 164 00:12:01,476 --> 00:12:04,956 Speaker 1: The dirty defense lawyer was convicted of bribery. But more 165 00:12:05,116 --> 00:12:10,196 Speaker 1: strategy backfired. And let me explain why Mort was in 166 00:12:10,276 --> 00:12:13,756 Speaker 1: effect tampering with the justice system. He was affecting the 167 00:12:13,796 --> 00:12:17,236 Speaker 1: outcome of a real, live case. The irony, of course, 168 00:12:17,316 --> 00:12:19,316 Speaker 1: was that this happened all the time anyway in a 169 00:12:19,316 --> 00:12:22,916 Speaker 1: corrupt system. But the fact remained that Mort was breaking 170 00:12:23,036 --> 00:12:26,036 Speaker 1: the law. He pushed a cop to accept a bribe 171 00:12:26,076 --> 00:12:29,356 Speaker 1: in a single case in an attempt to stop bribery 172 00:12:29,516 --> 00:12:35,236 Speaker 1: in general. The powers that be noticed what Mort had done, 173 00:12:35,516 --> 00:12:38,636 Speaker 1: and now they set out to make an example of him. 174 00:12:38,836 --> 00:12:41,996 Speaker 1: It was just, you don't do things like this to lawyers. 175 00:12:43,156 --> 00:12:48,556 Speaker 1: It's not nice. And besides, Friedman, you're allowing you're really 176 00:12:49,036 --> 00:12:51,476 Speaker 1: a much bigger center than they because you allowed a 177 00:12:51,476 --> 00:12:55,436 Speaker 1: police officer to lie. Mort was ordered to appear before 178 00:12:55,436 --> 00:12:59,556 Speaker 1: the Disciplinary Commission of the Illinois Supreme Court. They said 179 00:12:59,716 --> 00:13:03,436 Speaker 1: he was quote guilty of conduct tending to bring the 180 00:13:03,516 --> 00:13:08,676 Speaker 1: legal profession into disrepute. For someone like Mort, this was 181 00:13:08,716 --> 00:13:12,716 Speaker 1: a blow. I was mostly sad at the fact that 182 00:13:12,796 --> 00:13:16,196 Speaker 1: I had thought I had failed. Why do you think 183 00:13:16,676 --> 00:13:19,356 Speaker 1: you cared so much? If you knew her, you were right. 184 00:13:20,756 --> 00:13:23,636 Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't know the answer to that question. 185 00:13:25,676 --> 00:13:29,956 Speaker 1: It was just like, this is insane, this is a circus, 186 00:13:30,796 --> 00:13:33,116 Speaker 1: and I'm in the middle of it. And as for 187 00:13:33,196 --> 00:13:37,236 Speaker 1: the circus, well, the show went on. By the time 188 00:13:37,316 --> 00:13:40,716 Speaker 1: Mort was chastised by the court for his actions, Bob 189 00:13:40,756 --> 00:13:43,436 Speaker 1: Cooley had fixed the big murder trial for Harry Alaman. 190 00:13:44,076 --> 00:13:46,036 Speaker 1: He was already well on his way to being the 191 00:13:46,076 --> 00:13:49,556 Speaker 1: mob's go to guy, and the lesson from the Babe 192 00:13:49,556 --> 00:13:53,116 Speaker 1: in the Woods seemed to be, Yes, the system is corrupt, 193 00:13:53,676 --> 00:13:56,396 Speaker 1: and don't you dare try to change it, or you'll 194 00:13:56,516 --> 00:14:01,676 Speaker 1: end up like Mort Friedman. Mort's story became a legend 195 00:14:01,716 --> 00:14:05,276 Speaker 1: in Chicago. Everyone I talked to seemed to know about it, including, 196 00:14:05,396 --> 00:14:08,756 Speaker 1: of course, Bob Cooley. I asked Bob whether he'd ever 197 00:14:08,796 --> 00:14:12,276 Speaker 1: cross passed with Morden, if he knew him. I didn't 198 00:14:12,316 --> 00:14:14,756 Speaker 1: know him personally, know when you heard what he was 199 00:14:14,876 --> 00:14:17,356 Speaker 1: up to, did you think it would succeed. No, I 200 00:14:17,436 --> 00:14:20,556 Speaker 1: knew it wouldn't, he says. He knew it wouldn't, not 201 00:14:20,636 --> 00:14:24,916 Speaker 1: just because the legal system protected itself, but because ultimately 202 00:14:25,356 --> 00:14:28,676 Speaker 1: the mob was just too powerful, had too much of 203 00:14:28,716 --> 00:14:33,196 Speaker 1: a stranglehold on the judicial system. They had control over everything. Right, 204 00:14:33,556 --> 00:14:36,276 Speaker 1: this doesn't seem to register, and I don't. I'm not 205 00:14:36,276 --> 00:14:38,636 Speaker 1: getting mad at you. I'm just saying you are like 206 00:14:38,836 --> 00:14:42,396 Speaker 1: most people. You think, well, it couldn't be that. Believe me, 207 00:14:42,556 --> 00:14:46,756 Speaker 1: it was that powerful, and then some they were everything. 208 00:14:48,236 --> 00:14:50,876 Speaker 1: This was one of those moments, by the way, where 209 00:14:51,076 --> 00:14:54,476 Speaker 1: I could sense Bob's mounting frustration with me that I 210 00:14:54,596 --> 00:14:58,196 Speaker 1: was so naive or perhaps thickheaded, that I just couldn't 211 00:14:58,196 --> 00:15:02,076 Speaker 1: grasp the most fundamental law of his world. A system 212 00:15:02,196 --> 00:15:06,276 Speaker 1: that is corrupt will stay corrupt, kind of like an 213 00:15:06,276 --> 00:15:11,676 Speaker 1: object in motion will stay in motion until, of course, 214 00:15:12,236 --> 00:15:16,396 Speaker 1: someone stands in its way. And, as it turns out, 215 00:15:16,676 --> 00:15:19,796 Speaker 1: over at the FBI, some of the gmen were getting 216 00:15:19,796 --> 00:15:22,876 Speaker 1: ready to make a stand. They had taken notice of 217 00:15:22,916 --> 00:15:26,716 Speaker 1: mort Friedman's failed crusade, and they were marshaling their agents, 218 00:15:27,036 --> 00:15:30,636 Speaker 1: preparing an army of sorts. More on that when we 219 00:15:30,676 --> 00:15:55,956 Speaker 1: come back after the break. Sometime after mort Friedman got rebuked. 220 00:15:56,356 --> 00:15:59,156 Speaker 1: He says he got a call from the FBI. They 221 00:15:59,156 --> 00:16:02,236 Speaker 1: had questions for him. They wanted to know how exactly 222 00:16:02,316 --> 00:16:05,956 Speaker 1: bribes were being placed in Chicago's courthouses and who the 223 00:16:05,996 --> 00:16:09,716 Speaker 1: culprits were. Of course, mort would be the logical to ask. 224 00:16:10,316 --> 00:16:13,316 Speaker 1: Even though his crusade had failed, he was still known 225 00:16:13,356 --> 00:16:17,116 Speaker 1: as the guy who dared to take on corruption. Now. 226 00:16:17,236 --> 00:16:20,396 Speaker 1: Little did Mort know, the FBI had hatched a major 227 00:16:20,476 --> 00:16:24,436 Speaker 1: plan to expose corruption in Chicago's courts. They called it 228 00:16:24,756 --> 00:16:29,796 Speaker 1: Operation Gray Lord, and ultimately the success of this operation 229 00:16:30,236 --> 00:16:34,356 Speaker 1: would hinge on a young lawyer named Terry Hake. I 230 00:16:34,396 --> 00:16:37,916 Speaker 1: didn't want to be a lawyer anymore. It seemed like 231 00:16:37,956 --> 00:16:41,956 Speaker 1: a big game with what went on and what I 232 00:16:42,036 --> 00:16:45,036 Speaker 1: thought was going on in the corporals. This tape is 233 00:16:45,076 --> 00:16:48,476 Speaker 1: from a TV interview he did years ago. Terry actually 234 00:16:48,556 --> 00:16:50,996 Speaker 1: gave it to me. We chatted by phone a bunch 235 00:16:50,996 --> 00:16:53,436 Speaker 1: of times, but he preferred not to be interviewed on 236 00:16:53,476 --> 00:16:57,196 Speaker 1: the record. Terry was a prosecutor. He was young and 237 00:16:57,276 --> 00:17:00,756 Speaker 1: sincere and principled. People who knew him well said he 238 00:17:00,876 --> 00:17:04,516 Speaker 1: was like a boy scout, almost like two point zero, 239 00:17:05,396 --> 00:17:08,116 Speaker 1: and he would try to succeed where mort had failed. 240 00:17:08,636 --> 00:17:13,436 Speaker 1: He told the TV interviewer, my perception of the corruption 241 00:17:13,716 --> 00:17:16,556 Speaker 1: was that it was an old boys club. If you 242 00:17:16,636 --> 00:17:19,436 Speaker 1: wanted to be one of the boys, you went along 243 00:17:19,436 --> 00:17:21,916 Speaker 1: with the way things were done, and you paid money. 244 00:17:22,436 --> 00:17:24,676 Speaker 1: Terry was so fed up that he was prepared to 245 00:17:24,756 --> 00:17:28,316 Speaker 1: risk his entire career in order to do something about corruption. 246 00:17:29,116 --> 00:17:33,076 Speaker 1: So the FBI convinced him to go undercover, posing as 247 00:17:33,076 --> 00:17:37,116 Speaker 1: a corrupt lawyer. But the FBI was determined not to 248 00:17:37,156 --> 00:17:40,356 Speaker 1: repeat the mistake that Mort Friedman had made, so instead 249 00:17:40,356 --> 00:17:43,956 Speaker 1: of bribing officials in real cases, the FBI would stage 250 00:17:44,116 --> 00:17:48,956 Speaker 1: bogus crimes with bogus criminals, like a big charade. They 251 00:17:49,036 --> 00:17:53,476 Speaker 1: started with DUIs Now. The way we would do this 252 00:17:53,636 --> 00:17:56,236 Speaker 1: is we would drive like ten miles over the speed 253 00:17:56,276 --> 00:18:01,516 Speaker 1: limit on the Dan Ryan Expressway. This is Bill McGarry. 254 00:18:01,916 --> 00:18:04,756 Speaker 1: He was the FBI case agent in charge of Operation 255 00:18:04,876 --> 00:18:08,196 Speaker 1: Gray Lord starting in nineteen eighty one. Bill would tell 256 00:18:08,236 --> 00:18:10,836 Speaker 1: his undercover agent to get in the car and break 257 00:18:10,876 --> 00:18:13,196 Speaker 1: the speed limit in the hopes that they get pulled over. 258 00:18:13,996 --> 00:18:18,956 Speaker 1: We would pour liquor on the shirt of the undercover 259 00:18:19,036 --> 00:18:22,876 Speaker 1: agent so that the police officer immediately detected and smelled 260 00:18:22,876 --> 00:18:26,196 Speaker 1: the odor of alcohol, and then the undercover agent would 261 00:18:26,196 --> 00:18:31,396 Speaker 1: feign intoxication, you know, would slur his speech, stumble around, 262 00:18:31,436 --> 00:18:36,356 Speaker 1: and sell and so forth. The thinking was the undercover 263 00:18:36,436 --> 00:18:39,196 Speaker 1: agent would get arrested, spend a night or two in jail, 264 00:18:39,676 --> 00:18:43,916 Speaker 1: then hire Terry as their lawyer. Terry would then attempt 265 00:18:43,916 --> 00:18:48,196 Speaker 1: to place a bribe and document the whole thing. Pretty innovative, right, 266 00:18:48,796 --> 00:18:53,676 Speaker 1: But there was one serious problem. So what would happen 267 00:18:53,836 --> 00:18:56,876 Speaker 1: is the police officers something would just not arrest the people. 268 00:18:57,476 --> 00:19:00,196 Speaker 1: They'll remembers one time the cop took the car keys 269 00:19:00,196 --> 00:19:03,116 Speaker 1: of an undercover agent and just threw them down the sewer. 270 00:19:03,876 --> 00:19:06,356 Speaker 1: Another time, the cops pulled over one of his guys 271 00:19:06,516 --> 00:19:09,556 Speaker 1: who was posing as a drunk driver, and they buscated 272 00:19:09,556 --> 00:19:12,836 Speaker 1: his keys and locked them in his car, but they 273 00:19:12,836 --> 00:19:16,236 Speaker 1: did not arrest him. Bill says his agents had a 274 00:19:16,276 --> 00:19:19,916 Speaker 1: really hard time getting arrested, in part because the cops 275 00:19:20,036 --> 00:19:23,236 Speaker 1: knew how corrupt the system was. They knew that most 276 00:19:23,276 --> 00:19:25,916 Speaker 1: of the time the people they arrested could just buy 277 00:19:25,956 --> 00:19:28,436 Speaker 1: their way out of it. So what was the point. 278 00:19:31,476 --> 00:19:34,396 Speaker 1: Bill did finally manage to get one of his undercover 279 00:19:34,476 --> 00:19:38,156 Speaker 1: agents arrested for a dui but when they showed up 280 00:19:38,156 --> 00:19:40,996 Speaker 1: in court to try the case, the presiding judge had 281 00:19:40,996 --> 00:19:43,996 Speaker 1: too much to drink at lunch and court was adjourned. 282 00:19:44,636 --> 00:19:47,276 Speaker 1: And this is how it went for months and months. 283 00:19:48,036 --> 00:19:52,036 Speaker 1: Eventually the FBI decided to try staging more serious crimes, 284 00:19:52,396 --> 00:19:56,116 Speaker 1: including felonies. So we'd have an agent who would be 285 00:19:57,476 --> 00:20:00,476 Speaker 1: walking down the street carrying back In those days, you 286 00:20:00,556 --> 00:20:05,556 Speaker 1: had men who would wear these purses. Then another undercover agent, 287 00:20:05,636 --> 00:20:08,956 Speaker 1: playing the role of the thief would steal the aforementioned 288 00:20:09,156 --> 00:20:12,036 Speaker 1: and purse. There'd be other undercover agents playing the role 289 00:20:12,076 --> 00:20:15,276 Speaker 1: of witnesses who just happened to be standing around when 290 00:20:15,316 --> 00:20:18,436 Speaker 1: the crime was committed. One of these witnesses would wrestle 291 00:20:18,476 --> 00:20:21,116 Speaker 1: the thief to the ground, the cops would get called. 292 00:20:21,396 --> 00:20:23,956 Speaker 1: Then it'd be here's the thief, we have them for you, 293 00:20:24,316 --> 00:20:29,596 Speaker 1: and the whole scheme it actually worked. That's when Terry 294 00:20:29,636 --> 00:20:32,236 Speaker 1: Haig entered the scene, playing the role of the dirty 295 00:20:32,236 --> 00:20:35,876 Speaker 1: defense lawyer. Terry would go into the courtroom wearing a wire. 296 00:20:36,396 --> 00:20:38,956 Speaker 1: Then he'd placed a bribe to get his client off. 297 00:20:39,836 --> 00:20:42,276 Speaker 1: Here's a recording Terry made in which he paid off 298 00:20:42,316 --> 00:20:46,676 Speaker 1: the bagman for a judge named John Divine Well here's 299 00:20:46,676 --> 00:20:49,996 Speaker 1: a one fifty for roll behind okay, and verse fifty 300 00:20:50,036 --> 00:20:53,436 Speaker 1: for you, oh you ceb in it? That okay? Good? 301 00:20:54,396 --> 00:20:57,356 Speaker 1: And then they had it, a dead bang crime on tape, 302 00:20:57,636 --> 00:21:01,716 Speaker 1: a cleanly executed sting operation. And the FBI just kept 303 00:21:01,796 --> 00:21:05,076 Speaker 1: staging these bogus crimes. There was even an office where 304 00:21:05,116 --> 00:21:08,836 Speaker 1: agents sat around cooking up storylines and fake crimes, like 305 00:21:08,916 --> 00:21:10,996 Speaker 1: a bunch of TV guys in a writer's room out 306 00:21:10,996 --> 00:21:14,196 Speaker 1: in Hollywood. They came up with fake bios and phony 307 00:21:14,236 --> 00:21:18,116 Speaker 1: IDs for everyone involved. They thought of every detail. They 308 00:21:18,156 --> 00:21:21,236 Speaker 1: even rented apartments to back up the fake IDs, so 309 00:21:21,356 --> 00:21:25,156 Speaker 1: if anyone got suspicious and started poking around, they'd find 310 00:21:25,156 --> 00:21:28,716 Speaker 1: an actual door to knock on. And the scale of 311 00:21:28,756 --> 00:21:33,196 Speaker 1: this was enormous. Bill, the case agent, says that when 312 00:21:33,236 --> 00:21:36,236 Speaker 1: all was said and done, he used over three hundred 313 00:21:36,316 --> 00:21:40,516 Speaker 1: undercover agents, and the evidence poured in. Scores of bribes 314 00:21:40,556 --> 00:21:47,116 Speaker 1: were documented, thousands of hours of conversations were taped, incriminating cops, judges, lawyers, 315 00:21:47,156 --> 00:21:51,756 Speaker 1: and bag men, and it seemed like maybe finally the 316 00:21:51,796 --> 00:21:54,716 Speaker 1: city of Chicago was going to get cleaned up. And 317 00:21:54,756 --> 00:21:58,356 Speaker 1: then one night in August of nineteen eighty three, three 318 00:21:58,436 --> 00:22:01,916 Speaker 1: years after Great Lord began, word got out and the 319 00:22:01,956 --> 00:22:17,956 Speaker 1: operation was secret no more. Bob Cooley remembers this August 320 00:22:18,076 --> 00:22:22,036 Speaker 1: night when news of Operation Gray Lord broke because, as 321 00:22:22,036 --> 00:22:24,836 Speaker 1: it turns out, he was throwing a bachelor party for 322 00:22:24,916 --> 00:22:31,556 Speaker 1: his younger brother, Dennis. Bob says he invited two hundred people, 323 00:22:31,836 --> 00:22:35,436 Speaker 1: mainly lawyers and judges, to his favorite haunt counselor's row. 324 00:22:36,316 --> 00:22:39,396 Speaker 1: Terry Hake, the lawyer who went undercover for Operation Gray Lord, 325 00:22:39,716 --> 00:22:44,276 Speaker 1: he was there too, still very much undercover. Anyway, beer 326 00:22:44,476 --> 00:22:48,716 Speaker 1: was flowing, glasses were clinking, and somewhere in the background 327 00:22:48,996 --> 00:22:53,316 Speaker 1: a TV was on ron. The investigation has code named 328 00:22:53,356 --> 00:22:57,396 Speaker 1: Gray Lord. It's the largest undercover investigation ever started by 329 00:22:57,436 --> 00:23:01,796 Speaker 1: the United States Justice Department. Undercover FBI agents have methodically 330 00:23:01,796 --> 00:23:05,516 Speaker 1: and systematically penetrated the criminal justice system in Cook County. 331 00:23:05,876 --> 00:23:09,956 Speaker 1: And then suddenly the partygoers were clamor around the TV 332 00:23:10,356 --> 00:23:12,916 Speaker 1: to hear what was being said. They announced on the 333 00:23:12,996 --> 00:23:16,516 Speaker 1: TV that somebody was working undercover and had been for 334 00:23:16,556 --> 00:23:18,716 Speaker 1: a couple of years, and there was going to be 335 00:23:18,756 --> 00:23:22,236 Speaker 1: major indictments coming down on the court system there in Chicago, 336 00:23:22,516 --> 00:23:24,236 Speaker 1: and all the people that are going to be indicted 337 00:23:24,236 --> 00:23:27,556 Speaker 1: are standing right there alongside of US. At this point, 338 00:23:27,596 --> 00:23:30,236 Speaker 1: it was unclear who exactly was going to be indicted, 339 00:23:30,676 --> 00:23:33,996 Speaker 1: nor was it clear who this undercover agent was, but 340 00:23:34,156 --> 00:23:37,236 Speaker 1: this much was certain. The ship was about to hit 341 00:23:37,276 --> 00:23:43,556 Speaker 1: the fan. Bob says. The rollicking bachelor party got serious 342 00:23:43,756 --> 00:23:48,876 Speaker 1: quick when they announced that on TV. Holy Christ, and 343 00:23:48,916 --> 00:23:52,196 Speaker 1: we're all standing there. Who's standing right next to me 344 00:23:52,316 --> 00:23:55,716 Speaker 1: but Terry Hack. Bob was literally standing next to the 345 00:23:55,716 --> 00:23:58,476 Speaker 1: guy at the center of this whole thing. Of course, 346 00:23:58,516 --> 00:24:00,956 Speaker 1: at the time, Bob didn't know that Terry Hack was 347 00:24:00,956 --> 00:24:04,316 Speaker 1: the mole, the very undercover agent being mentioned on TV. 348 00:24:05,036 --> 00:24:08,476 Speaker 1: Bob just thought Terry was another defense attorney. A few 349 00:24:08,476 --> 00:24:12,156 Speaker 1: months later, the full story came out. The FBI uncovered 350 00:24:12,196 --> 00:24:15,036 Speaker 1: a system of bagman. These are the people who insulate 351 00:24:15,076 --> 00:24:17,716 Speaker 1: the judges from the dirty money. Most of the time, 352 00:24:17,756 --> 00:24:21,116 Speaker 1: the bagman are lawyers, cops, and court bailiffs. Terry Hack 353 00:24:21,236 --> 00:24:24,356 Speaker 1: was out at as the mole, and then the indictments 354 00:24:24,436 --> 00:24:26,996 Speaker 1: began to roll. Some of the investigators have called the 355 00:24:27,036 --> 00:24:30,436 Speaker 1: Cook County judicial system the most corrupt system they've ever seen. 356 00:24:31,196 --> 00:24:35,436 Speaker 1: In total, ninety two officials were indicted, including seventeen judges, 357 00:24:35,676 --> 00:24:40,676 Speaker 1: forty eight lawyers, ten deputy sheriffs, eight policemen, eight court officials, 358 00:24:40,876 --> 00:24:44,116 Speaker 1: and a partridge in a pear tree. Yep, it was 359 00:24:44,156 --> 00:24:48,996 Speaker 1: like Christmas Day at the FBI. So you might think, 360 00:24:49,036 --> 00:24:51,356 Speaker 1: in light of all of this that Bob was biting 361 00:24:51,356 --> 00:24:54,156 Speaker 1: his nails like he just dodged a bullet or something, 362 00:24:54,636 --> 00:24:58,476 Speaker 1: or maybe his bullet was still coming. Nope, I was 363 00:24:58,676 --> 00:25:02,156 Speaker 1: ultra careful when I did things, and I realized nobody 364 00:25:02,196 --> 00:25:07,436 Speaker 1: would dare you to cooperate against us. Terry Hag never 365 00:25:07,756 --> 00:25:12,396 Speaker 1: fowned any information about me from anybody, because nobody would 366 00:25:12,516 --> 00:25:15,476 Speaker 1: dare say something about me for fear of the something 367 00:25:15,476 --> 00:25:18,996 Speaker 1: would happen to him. Bob says that Operation Gray Lord, 368 00:25:19,076 --> 00:25:21,676 Speaker 1: as grand as it was in scope, did not indict 369 00:25:21,716 --> 00:25:24,716 Speaker 1: a single first word operative, as he called them. The 370 00:25:24,836 --> 00:25:28,236 Speaker 1: key guys at the Mob relied upon Gray Lord, bagged 371 00:25:28,236 --> 00:25:30,676 Speaker 1: a whole lot of public officials, but it did not 372 00:25:30,876 --> 00:25:34,676 Speaker 1: break the outfits choke hold on the city. I talked 373 00:25:34,716 --> 00:25:37,756 Speaker 1: to Bill McGarry about this. The FBI agent in charge 374 00:25:37,796 --> 00:25:41,236 Speaker 1: of Operation Gray Lord asked him, did you suspect that 375 00:25:41,276 --> 00:25:44,396 Speaker 1: the Mob was funneling its money into corruption? So we 376 00:25:44,436 --> 00:25:48,036 Speaker 1: always suspected it, but we never, I think, had any 377 00:25:48,076 --> 00:25:51,756 Speaker 1: hard evidence to suggest that you know that there was 378 00:25:51,876 --> 00:25:55,316 Speaker 1: a lot of mom involvement in the corruption. So as 379 00:25:55,316 --> 00:25:59,356 Speaker 1: incredibly impressive as gray Lord was in this regard, it 380 00:25:59,476 --> 00:26:08,476 Speaker 1: fell short. Gray Lord indicted a whole number of people. 381 00:26:09,596 --> 00:26:12,356 Speaker 1: All that happened was only a few of us could still, 382 00:26:12,476 --> 00:26:16,356 Speaker 1: you know, fix major cases, and the price just went up. 383 00:26:17,956 --> 00:26:21,276 Speaker 1: You heard him right. Perversely, the outcome for Bob from 384 00:26:21,316 --> 00:26:24,556 Speaker 1: Operation Gray Lord was that he could now charge more 385 00:26:24,596 --> 00:26:27,916 Speaker 1: money for fixing a case because many of his competitors 386 00:26:27,916 --> 00:26:33,596 Speaker 1: had either been locked up or frightened away. So to recap, first, 387 00:26:33,636 --> 00:26:36,396 Speaker 1: Morte Friedman, the Babe in the Woods, tried to clean 388 00:26:36,476 --> 00:26:40,596 Speaker 1: things up and got crushed. Then the FBI, with its 389 00:26:40,716 --> 00:26:44,356 Speaker 1: army of over three hundred undercover agents, waged its war. 390 00:26:45,036 --> 00:26:48,116 Speaker 1: And still the mob seemed to have sway over the courts. 391 00:26:48,516 --> 00:26:54,316 Speaker 1: They owned, politicians, they killed with impunity, They controlled the city. 392 00:26:54,356 --> 00:26:58,156 Speaker 1: It seemed like they were untouchable. So what would it 393 00:26:58,236 --> 00:27:02,036 Speaker 1: take to really end corruption in Chicago? Who would put 394 00:27:02,036 --> 00:27:04,676 Speaker 1: an end to Bob Cooley and the corrupt system that 395 00:27:04,756 --> 00:27:09,716 Speaker 1: he was part of, the answer, of course, was only himself. 396 00:27:19,116 --> 00:27:23,676 Speaker 1: Next time, undeep cover what's going through your head at 397 00:27:23,716 --> 00:27:26,716 Speaker 1: that moment? Keep the fight going, don't back down and 398 00:27:26,796 --> 00:27:30,076 Speaker 1: don't give up, and I kept telling myself don't shoot. 399 00:27:53,236 --> 00:27:56,396 Speaker 1: Deep Cover is produced by Jacob Smith and Amy Gaines 400 00:27:56,596 --> 00:28:00,756 Speaker 1: and edited by Karen Shakerjey. Our senior editor is Jan Guera. 401 00:28:01,156 --> 00:28:04,036 Speaker 1: Original music and our theme was composed by Luise Gara 402 00:28:04,236 --> 00:28:07,436 Speaker 1: and Fawn Williams is our engineer. Our art this season 403 00:28:07,516 --> 00:28:11,116 Speaker 1: was drawn by Cheryl Cook, designed by Sean Carney. Mia 404 00:28:11,196 --> 00:28:15,036 Speaker 1: Lobell is our executive producer. Special thanks to Heather Fame, 405 00:28:15,396 --> 00:28:20,876 Speaker 1: John Schnars, Carl Mcgliori Mayakine, Christina Sullivan, Eric Sandler, Mary 406 00:28:20,876 --> 00:28:26,636 Speaker 1: Bett Smith, Brant Haynes, Maggie Taylor, Nicolemarano, Megan Larson, Royston Beserve, 407 00:28:26,916 --> 00:28:32,116 Speaker 1: Lucy Sullivan, Edith Russlo, Riley Sullivan, Jason Gambrell, Martin Gonzalez, 408 00:28:32,196 --> 00:29:20,276 Speaker 1: and Jacob Weisberg. I'm Jake Albert. Special thanks to investigative 409 00:29:20,316 --> 00:29:23,716 Speaker 1: journalist Peter Carl who shared his insights on Chicago in 410 00:29:23,756 --> 00:29:26,356 Speaker 1: the nineteen eighties. If you'd like to know more about 411 00:29:26,356 --> 00:29:30,196 Speaker 1: Operation Gray Lord, check out Terry Hake's memoir It's called 412 00:29:30,436 --> 00:29:33,756 Speaker 1: Operation Gray Lord. He co wrote it with Wayne Klatt. 413 00:29:34,436 --> 00:29:38,356 Speaker 1: Also check out Gray Lord by James Twey and Rob Warden. 414 00:29:39,156 --> 00:29:41,676 Speaker 1: Subscribe to Pushkin Plus and you can binge the rest 415 00:29:41,676 --> 00:29:45,636 Speaker 1: of the season right now adds free. Find Pushkin Plus 416 00:29:45,636 --> 00:29:48,676 Speaker 1: on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or 417 00:29:48,716 --> 00:29:53,596 Speaker 1: at pushkin dot fm. To find more Pushkin podcasts, listen 418 00:29:53,676 --> 00:29:58,236 Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 419 00:29:58,316 --> 00:29:59,156 Speaker 1: to podcasts,