When Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich needed cash, his No. 1 man was a Munster resident and former Schererville lawyer who raised more money for the governor than anyone else on the planet.
That man was Milan Petrovic, 42, who recently moved to Burr Ridge, Ill., but was once a public defender in Schererville Town Court and is a 1984 graduate of Lake Central High School, where he was a basketball standout.
According to the Web site of his downtown Chicago lobbying firm, Advanced Practical Solutions LLC, Petrovic was hired by then-Congressman Blagojevich in 2001 and was "instrumental in providing strategy which helped (Blagojevich) win the general election in 2002 to become the first Democratic governor of Illinois in 26 years."
He is, says Illinois Issues, "Blagojevich's top political fundraiser." Illinois Issues is published by the Center for State Policy and Leadership at the University of Illinois (Springfield).
A two-page memo released by the Chicago-based Better Government Association in May credited Petrovic with raising at least $1.8 million in campaign funds for Blagojevich, more money than even the high-profile federal felon Antoin "Tony" Rezko, who was convicted earlier this year of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering.
Petrovic would host fundraising events at his Munster home for Blagojevich, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, all prominent Illinois Democrats.
Jackson called a news conference Wednesday to distance himself from the "pay-to-play" schemes the government alleges Blagojevich was using to solicit bids for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the election of President-elect Barack Obama.
But Jackson wasn't turning down money from Blagojevich's chief fundraiser in 2007. Political contribution listings show Milan and Anne Petrovic each gave Jackson $2,300 on April 8, 2007. Anne also contributed $2,000 toward the re-election campaign of Durbin in June 2007.
None of this means, of course, that Petrovic or Jackson has done anything wrong or improper. But being self-described as an insider of the Blagojevich administration has recently taken on an unsavory cachet.
Milan Petrovic wasn't at home Wednesday afternoon, but his wife, Anne, said she is certain he did nothing wrong. "I know he didn't," she said. And no one has said he did.
He is apparently not the "Fundraiser A" named in the indictment as one of the people Blagojevich allegedly directed to put the squeeze on donors to contribute because "Fundraiser A" is identified in the document as the chairman of Friends of Blagojevich, the governor's campaign arm and Petrovic is not the entity's chairman.
In the conversations with "Individual A" on Oct. 8, 2008, that person told the FBI that Blagojevich talked about pressuring Children's Memorial Hospital for a contribution because "I'm going to do $8 million for them. I want to get (hospital executive) for 50," which the individual said meant a $50,000 contribution in exchange for state money for the hospital.
On Petrovic's Web site, he says his own children "have inspired Milan to start a foundation which will raise money for various children's charities such as Children's Memorial Hospital."
But even if Petrovic were "Individual A," the government says he is "not a target of the criminal investigation concerning activities at the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board.
"Individual A has no criminal history and is not currently providing information to the government as part of any type of cooperation agreement."
At this point, given the egregious scope and breadth of the charges leveled against Blagojevich, everyone from the kid who delivers his paper to his cable guy is denying they've done anything wrong. And that is certainly true for most.
But thanks to the Chicago pizza delivery boy turned governor, a lot of people who don't need to blush are busy trying to brush the mud from their reputations.
And because U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has promised this investigation is far from over, there are some who need to stop blushing and brushing and start hiring lawyers.
The opinions are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at markk@nwitimes.com or (219) 933-4170.
