If I had to sum up the sad state of today’s print journalism in one word, that word would be “sources,” as in an utter incapacity to develop them on any level. Our too-young local reporters are so inculcated with the word “hits” that they’ll happily sacrifice a potential long-term source for a sensationalist Net splash every time.
The story we’re about to cover is a perfect example of this dynamic because, while I’d like to claim it’s the result of months of investigative work, the truth is, it was a couple of stellar Aurora Police Department sources who sought me out. Of course, the required due diligence was subsequently applied, but make no mistake, this story doesn’t exist without those fine folks.
Rest assured, as part of that due diligence, the response to a well-placed FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request supports every last detail those sources provided. So, let’s start at the beginning!
This is the first of what will be some fascinating excerpts copied directly from the official APD incident report:
For references purposes, not only is Pegues the City of Aurora CIO, but he and Mayor Richard Irvin go so far back, one of my sources referred to him as the Mayor’s “BFF.” With that in mind, let’s continue:
To be clear, those redactions are the APD’s and not mine. Also, I will not be mentioning the name of the IT company involved because their courage in reporting this already cost them three jobs, and even meritorious whistleblowers tend to make sitting politicians skittish.
To summarize those paragraphs, my sources told me that Pegues, who clearly owns NexGen Entertainment, would not take no for a quid-pro-quo sponsorship answer. And when that company held their ground, they were not only fired from the COA job, but from two other Kane County gigs as well. I have absolutely no proof of this, but I’m sure all it took was a Peques call explaining that company’s suddenly “substandard work.” Or perhaps he was blunt enough to say they wouldn’t play the game.
At this early point in this sad saga the APD did everything by the book:
That certainly confirms my sources’ theory that the FBI’s Chicago Public Integrity Unit was so concerned with CIO Pegues’ behavior – and whatever evidence the IT company provided them to support their accusation – that they took over the investigation.
So, when you consider all of this transpired in late 2018, that begs not one, but a number of very interesting questions:
- What happened to what appears to be a slam-dunk Federal investigation?
- If there is no ongoing investigation, what derailed it?
- Why did Michael Pegues think he could get away with it?
- Why is Michael Pegues still employed by the City of Aurora?
As you might imagine, I’ve provided Chief Ziman, Mayor Irvin, and CIO Pegues with every possible opportunity to answer those inquiries and to provide their side of the story – if there is one. But they’ve been collectively quieter than a Democrat who took a wrong turn into a Q-Anon meeting.
Not to worry, Dear Reader! Since they won’t answer those questions – I will – in our next installment. And those answers will include how and why, according to my sources, Chief Ziman single-handedly torpedoed the federal investigation.
Meanwhile, my investigative efforts will assuredly continue and, particularly after reaching out to the FBI, I’m sure it’s about to get much more fascinating.
