Suicide seen in death of John Stroger's godson
ORLANDO JONES | Political insider found on beach
One of Cook County's top political insiders was found dead on a southwestern Michigan beach this week from a self-inflicted gunshot wound -- two days after the Chicago FBI attempted to interview him about an undisclosed matter, authorities said Thursday.
Orlando Jones -- a 52-year-old godson of ex-County Board President John Stroger, former top Stroger aide and married father of two sons -- had lunched with a lawyer Tuesday before disappearing that evening. His body was found about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the bottom of a set of steps leading to Gowdy Shores beach, a short drive from a New Buffalo, Mich., casino Jones had frequented.
(Jean Lachat/Sun-Times, Courtesy
Berrien County law enforcement officials said a handgun was found with Jones, who had a single gunshot wound in his head.
Undersheriff Chuck Heit said there was nothing that would lead him to believe "it was anything other than suicide."
Authorities recovered notes from Jones' South Loop home, including one referencing how unforgiving the news media tend to be, a law-enforcement source said.
Jones, who most recently worked as a lobbyist and consultant, last week was a subject of news reports in Las Vegas that he was under criminal investigation for wrongdoing regarding public hospital contracts there.
Jones told the Chicago Sun-Times last week that he did nothing wrong. He met with attorney and friend Robert Stephenson at a West Dundee restaurant Tuesday to discuss a half-inch stack of documents Stephenson planned to send to the Clark County, Nev., prosecutor.
''I was relatively confident that once the D.A. looked at these documents, this thing would have been over with respect to Orlando,'' Stephenson said.
Jones was upbeat, Stephenson said. "A good part of the lunch was about the future," he explained. "I didn't sleep last night because I cannot explain what happened."
The discovery of Jones' body came just two days after FBI agents approached Jones, FBI spokesman Frank Bochte said. Jones "cordially declined" to speak with Chicago agents. The FBI wouldn't discuss details of the potential interview, citing an ongoing probe.
Stephenson said he was aware the FBI had approached Jones, but he said agents had made contact with him last week, not Monday. Stephenson said the FBI was assisting Las Vegas authorities in their investigation.
Kathleen Suey, a Las Vegas deputy police chief, said her investigators did not ask the FBI to approach Jones. However, she did not rule out the FBI visit was related to the Las Vegas case: "I cannot comment on what they were there for."
Besides the Las Vegas matter, Jones had been interviewed by federal authorities some time ago about a separate, government-related deal highlighted in a Sun-Times story in Thursday's editions. That deal -- which involved an annual fee paid to Jones by an investment firm that does business with a state government pension fund -- had allowed Jones to be paid six-figure sums annually for a job he did in 2004.
Authorities, Stephenson said, wanted to know if now-indicted Highland Park businessman Stuart Levine played any role in helping Jones land the deal. Levine has been indicted along with Wilmette businessman Tony Rezko in a kickback scheme to defraud Illinois taxpayers using fees like the one Jones got.
Jones told the feds Levine played no role in Jones landing the fee, Stephenson said. He added that Jones was not asked about Rezko.
Like Jones, Rezko is close to the Stroger family, and Rezko and Jones have been business partners, records show.
Jones was in County Board President Todd H. Stroger's office as recently as last week. Todd Stroger was elected to the post held by his father, John, last year after the elder Stroger suffered a debilitating stroke.
"The Stroger family is saddened by the passing of Orlando Jones, godson to former Cook County Board President John Stroger and a longtime family friend," Todd Stroger said in a statement. "His passing is an untimely and unfortunate loss for those who knew and loved him, and he will be missed. Our prayers go out to his wife, Cerrelda, and his two sons."
Contributing: Annie Sweeney, Fran Spielman, Abdon Pallasch