Terry Hake keynotes Chicago Crime Commission annual luncheon

CHICAGO, Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chicago Crime Commission welcomed Terry Hake as their guest speaker at their annual holiday luncheon. Hake was the principal FBI undercover lawyer in the Operation Greylord investigation, which culminated in the largest and most successful bust of its kind.

"In 1980, as a young assistant prosecutor in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, Hake said he became confused, then disillusioned, then disgusted and finally angry with the corruption permeating the Cook County Courts," according to J.R. Davis, Chairman and President of the Chicago Crime Commission.  "Soon after, Hake was approached by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI and agreed to work undercover posing as a corrupt lawyer," he said.

"Operation Greylord is still credited today for cleaning up a system that was overrun by crooked judges and lawyers. At the time, Hake could have easily looked the other way, but instead he made a difficult choice and did the right thing. That's what makes him a hero," Davis explained.

During his presentation to the Chicago Crime Commission about Operation Greylord, Hake, the author of a book by the same name, told the audience how as a part of the nearly four-year-long investigation, he accepted bribes, made payoffs, bugged a judge's chambers, and wore a wire. He also told of how he befriended people that he knew that he would later betray.

"Operation Greylord was the longest and most successful undercover investigation in FBI history and the largest corruption bust in the history of the United States," Davis continued. "When all was said and done, the operation resulted in bribery and tax charges against 103 judges, lawyers, and court personnel, and more than 70 indictments in the Cook County court system.  For that we owe Terry Hake a debt of gratitude," he concluded.

Contact:
John Pastuovic
312-925-9092

SOURCE Chicago Crime Commission