Chicago’s Corruption Dynasty: The Money Machine and the Middle East Royal Orbit
Chicago’s Corruption Dynasty: The Money Machine and the Middle East Royal Orbit
A Memoir.
By Brittini Flatley/AI (for fast fact-checking purposes)
Editor’s Note
This memoir contains personal reflections, investigative research, and opinions based on public documents and firsthand experience. It is offered as constitutionally protected speech in the interest of public understanding and accountability.
Author’s Note
This series is a protected work of memoir and opinion, based on personal lived experience, investigatory research, and interpretation of public events. Allegations remain allegations unless proven in a court of law. This publication is offered under constitutionally protected freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and journalistic activity as recognized by U.S. and international law.
Chapter 4: Chicago’s Corruption Dynasty: The Money Machine and the Middle East Royal Orbit
If Chapter 3 cracked the veneer, Chapter 4 kicks the door in.
The Hired Truck Legacy
Everyone wants to believe corruption is local. A zoning deal here, a friendly contract there. But the real machinery hums far above City Hall. Chicago's political landscape has long been shaped by a confluence of political power and financial influence. Remember chapter one, when we discussed thatduring Mayor Richard M. Daley's tenure, the "Hired Truck Program" exemplified this dynamic, where companies received city contracts and, in return, contributed to political campaigns. Investigations revealed that firms involved in the program donated over $100,000 to Daley's campaign, raising concerns about pay-to-play practices. Such arrangements blurred the lines between governance and personal gain, casting a shadow over the city's administrative integrity.
The 361 Firm and Denison Thread
Speaking of shadowy, a significant number of 361 Firm alumni and members trace their academic roots back to Denison University, weaving an intricate network of influence that extends far beyond the classroom. Among these is Patricia “Trisha” Rooney Alden, a 1991 B.A. graduate who now serves as Founder, President, and CEO of R4 Services, LLC, a waste management company with deep ties to Chicago’s political elite. Alden, who took over the reins from her father, sits on several boards alongside members of the Daley family, a connection that inevitably brings to mind again this infamous Hired Truck Program scandal where the program notoriously funneled millions in city contracts to politically connected companies, including waste management firms, highlighting the extent to which public resources have been manipulated for private gain. The seamless interweaving of Denison alumni like Alden into Chicago’s political and economic fabric exposes the enduring nature of this patronage system, a web spun tight by nationally and globally intertwined familial ties, corporate interests, and legacy.
The Grooming Network
In recent days, I’ve been poked repeatedly by 361 Firm, led by Mark Sanor, receiving messages and invitations under easily adjustable pretenses, including a strategic claim that I expressed a recent interest in healthcare and health-tech investment opportunities, an interest I have not indicated this year at all. This elite grooming network operates like a fast-food chain in underserved neighborhoods, packaging and repackaging national images, leverage, and talent for controlled access capital. Foundations, charities, PACs, investment deals, and 501(c)(4)s serve as polished fronts for navigating both legitimate finance and shadowy backchannels. My wise patriots, remember, I mentioned on LinkedIn in my last post, the next NuEra court date is 6/9/25, and here, on May 23, 2025, 3:06 PM, 361 Firm resurfaces and then again with another email on May 26, 2025, at 7:12 am? Coincidence? Accident? Technicality? They’ll say it’s just another blast or a technical oversight. Eerily echoing the Enron excuses. But in this world, coincidences have receipts, and those receipts expose the very corruption and psychological manipulation tools they try to bury.
The Chicago pattern is unmistakable: the Daley’s, Shannon’s, Rooney’s, Tribbett’s, and Pritzker networks cloak their vast wealth and influence behind philanthropic facades, charitable boards, and nonprofit endeavors, attempting to convince the public that their dark deeds remain unseen and unchallenged. Yet no matter how many positions one chairs or vice-chairs, the origins of their fortune, too often rooted in the exploitation of Black, Brown, Yellow, and poor White communities, cannot be hidden indefinitely. What masquerades as civic duty is frequently a veil for systemic corruption and moral bankruptcy.
Finance, Faith, and the Vatican Bank
In Chicago, the Daley dynasty perfected the fusion of local power and global capital long before most knew what BlackRock was. And if you follow the money far enough, it doesn’t stop at LaSalle Street or even Wall Street. It runs through the Vatican Bank, across European family offices, and into the invisible hands that write the rules you’re told are democratic.
The connection between Chicago's political and religious spheres and the Vatican's financial apparatus finds a notable exemplar in Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, a Chicago native who served as president of the Vatican Bank (formally known as the Institute for the Works of Religion) from 1971 to 1989.Remember chapter three when we discussed during his tenure, the Vatican Bank became entangled in the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano, Italy’s largest private bank at the time, whose chairman, Roberto Calvi, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in London in 1982. Investigations into the collapse revealed irregularities and alleged money laundering, with reports indicating links to organized crime and covert financial operations involving both secular and religious institutions. While Marcinkus was never formally charged with wrongdoing, Italian authorities sought to question him, and he was shielded from extradition by the Vatican’s sovereign status. His Chicago origins and leadership role in the bank during one of its most controversial periods underscore the global reach of financial scandals involving religious institutions and their intersection with political and economic power networks.(Source: The New York Times, Washington Post)
The current pope is Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost. He was elected on May 8, 2025, becoming the first American to ascend to the papacy in the Catholic Church's history. Originally from Chicago, Pope Leo XIV is a member of the Augustinian order.
Just days ago, a childhood friend called to tell me a family member of theirs had already been offered a private audience with the new Pope in Rome, during a trip to Italy, arranged by none other than John Chandler.
What kind of connections turn a classroom into a corridor of global influence? Why would a politically connected social studies teacher and school president have that level of Vatican access?
It begs the question: Who exactly is John Chandler?
Off record? The intelligence on John Chandler is razor thin.
He’s not just a social studies teacher. He’s a 50-year institutional anchor at Saint Ignatius College Prep, Jesuit-groomed, development-connected, sitting on boards tied to Catholic power structures. The kind of guy who can broker audiences with popes under the guise of pedagogy.
Public face: educator. Private network? Unusually Vatican-adjacent.
Who exactly is John Chandler? The title doesn’t match the access.
Off record, in whispers, the question isn’t just who John Chandler is on paper—it’s what kind of quiet clearance he holds. The kind you don’t list on résumés. The kind that gets you behind Vatican doors, without a public title or portfolio. Special clearance, so to speak. Who gives that kind of access to a high school teacher, and now school president? And why?
Hmm. I suppose we can answer that toward the end of this series.
BlackRock, Vanguard, and the Cannabis Proxy Empire
Let’s start with the front-facing players. BlackRock and Vanguard. Two asset managers with a combined $17 trillion under management [1]. BlackRock and Vanguard have made significant investments in the cannabis industry, primarily through Canadian companies and real estate investment trusts (REITs), due to U.S. federal restrictions on marijuana. But remember, their significant investments in the cannabis industry are usually done through the use of proxies, the “we don’t touch the plant kind.” Our twin titans also own significant shares in nearly every major American corporation, like BlackRock's Investment in Airbnb. As of January 29, 2024, BlackRock, Inc. reported ownership of 26,580,286 shares of Airbnb, Inc., representing approximately 6.1% of the company. Vanguard's Investment in Airbnb, as of February 13, 2024, Vanguard Group Inc. disclosed ownership of 33,533,296 shares of Airbnb, Inc., equating to approximately 7.71% ownership. These holdings position BlackRock and Vanguard among the largest institutional investors in Airbnb, reflecting their significant influence in the company's shareholder structure, and more quietly, they also like to back political action committees (PACs) that influence everything from city council races to presidential elections. According to OpenSecrets.org, BlackRock-affiliated individuals and PACs donated over $1 million to federal candidates in the 2020 cycle alone [2]. That’s just the tip.
Now, connect the dots to Chicago. While Richard M. Daley publicly preached fiscal discipline, city pension funds were quietly rerouted into high-fee hedge funds, and private equity vehicles managed by, you guessed it, firms like BlackRock and JPMorgan Chase [3]. The irony? Those “investments” often lost money or underperformed public benchmarks, all while enriching the firms. It was legal. It was contractual. It was corruption with a tie on.
Family Offices and Global Dynasties
Behind the veil are the family offices, private wealth management firms that handle billions for dynasties from the U.S., Switzerland, and the Gulf. Whispered names include the Crown family (heavy investors in Boeing), the Pritzkers (heavy investors in cannabis). ArcView is a San Francisco angel investor group for the cannabis industry. Among the investors is Joby Pritzker, scion of the Pritzker family -- one of America's wealthiest, and further afield, the Agnellis (Gianni Agnelli was widely documented to have served as a bridge between Vatican financiers and global capital (see God’s Bankers by Gerald Posner) and the Rothschilds.
Remember the Vatican chapter? Agnelli-backed companies helped facilitate Italy’s “stay-behind” Gladio structure, meant to resist Soviet incursion; this links back to Operation Gladio, a Vatican-CIA-NATO coordinated effort. The Agnellis had close dealings with Henry Kissinger, David Rockefeller, and U.S. intelligence networks during the Cold War. Kissinger once remarked, "During the last two decades of his life, no one was closer to me than Gianni Agnelli". Agnelli's participation in over thirty Bilderberg Conferences further cemented his role in shaping transatlantic policies.
Through Fiat, they supplied vehicles for U.S. and NATO-aligned efforts in Europe and the Middle East. More fun facts about this family: The Agnelli family founded FIAT (Fabbrica ItalianaAutomobili Torino) and maintained controlling stakes in Exor, one of Europe’s largest investment holding companies. They are cute, little cars, I owned one once. Shortly after I received the car, I was in a devastating T-bone car crash in Texas.Interesting circumstances around that near-death experience, I will share in an upcoming chapter, as my days in Texas and with certain individuals deserve their own mini-series. Continuing, Giovanni Agnelli Sr. was the patriarch who aligned Fiat with fascist Italy under Mussolini. Gianni Agnelli, his grandson, became the international face of Italian capitalism from the 1950s through the 1990s. Known for his elite diplomacy and relationships with the Vatican, CIA-linked financiers, and the Bilderberg Group. Exor’s modern holdings include Stellantis(Fiat-Chrysler-Peugeot), The Economist, Juventus F.C., and significant real estate and financial services platforms.
The Agnelli network represents the European version of the Chicago Machine, elite families with overlapping religious, financial, and political influence. Like the Daley dynasty, they used education, corporate holding structures, and religious ties to maintain generational control. The Banco Ambrosiano scandal (involving the Vatican Bank, P2 Masonic Lodge, and Roberto Calvi) intersected with Fiat-aligned banks; some off-record claim the financial patterns resemble the NuEra, NuMed, Prairie Cannabis, LLC webs. This I personally cannot and will not verify.
The collapse of Banco Ambrosiano in 1982 unveiled a labyrinthine scandal involving the Vatican Bank, organized crime, and political intrigue. As Italy's largest private bank, its downfall left over $1.2 billion in unsecured loans and implicated numerous high-profile figures. The Vatican Bank, a significant shareholder, was accused of channeling funds to covert operations, including support for the Polish trade union Solidarity and the Nicaraguan Contras.
These entities don’t just park wealth, they shape policy. In 2015, leaked Panama Papers documents revealed connections between family offices and dark money electoral spending through offshore vehicles and donor-advised funds [4].
There’s a whisper network in Chicago finance. Everyone knowsoff the record who the real funders are, but no one says it. I recall someone in finance who works around a major Illinois-based family office telling me over drinks, “You’ll never find their names on FEC reports, but they’re the ones who pick the PACs’ treasurers.” The Rose knows.
And then there’s the Vatican. It’s business as usual until you follow the cash. In 2020, reports surfaced that Vatican investments included London real estate and private equity funds connected to global financiers also active in U.S. politics [5]. These weren’t faith-based investments; they were strategic capital placements with political implications.
Flashback: Dubai and the Royal Orbit
I suppose my introduction to global influence didn’t begin in a boardroom or courtroom, but under the chandeliers of Buddha Bar Dubai sometime in the early 2000s.
I was barely out of my teens when I flew with a modeling friend and an Iranian businessman named “Mario” who lived in the John Hancock building — we stopped in Amsterdam on the way, where, during a coffee shop layover, I had my first encounter with cannabis.
I remember the moment: a briefcase full of cannabis cracked open like in a spy movie, and me thinking, “American coffee shops are NOT like this.”
We were questioned by agents on the jet bridge — suspected of laundering money, but likely thought trafficking or being trafficked — before being cleared.
The next night, I was dancing in American clothes at a high-end restaurant, oblivious to how inappropriate that was in that culture, until a Saudi royal, third in line to the throne, they said,joined me on the floor. I woke up in a Fairmont suite guarded by men with no memory of how I got there. It wouldn’t be the last time I blinked and found myself somewhere far removed from consent.
The rest of the trip blurred into island parties, desert soirées, and bodyguards. Mario protested, but I was left with a royal who soon departed back to the politics and business of Riyadh.
I didn’t think of it again until years later, when a Saudi invitation arrived at my door. A trip to New York, through the Permanent Mission.
At the time, I had no clue how deeply the Middle East would orbit my story, nor that my own orbit had already begun circling theirs.
What I didn’t understand then was how these early brushes with power, culture, and silence would later echo in courtrooms, corporate disclosures, and diplomatic channels — from NuMed/NuEra (Prairie Cannabis) to NATO, from Chicago to the Crown Prince, a Most Benevolent Savior.
The Internship That Wasn’t
Some lessons don’t come from paper trails but from sitting quietly in the wrong room.
I “worked” at a firm called Abraham Lincoln Alternative Investments when I was barely pushing twenty around 2006. Gordon P. Wright was “manager.” Brian F. Hynes ran the show.
One day, right in the middle of local corruption headlines, in walked a Rezko kid. We were told he was joining the team. No resume. No notice.
Just boom.
It was framed as we need to help the family.
Brian’s cousin and I were the only “employees” at the time. This Rezko kid made three.
I was technically in marketing, though I mostly just sat at a desk, clicked through tabs like Brian’s cousin, and collected a paycheck. It was one of those setups you only recognize for what it is years later.
Sandy, who managed the front desk at the time, smelled the rot early. Then one day, poof, the company was gone.
No notice. No severance. Just vapor.
Then, later, Brian had VAP, linked in whispers by GarrittCullerton, of the same political clan, wrapped in Chicago’s legacy of power. Brian married a Playboy model and moved to Puerto Rico. The wedding was attended by the likes of a former Bulls player, Joakim Noah and his crew. Chicago insider whispers say he now calls her a “dud” because of a chronic illness.
Real class act.
The Feminine Frontier: Chicago’s Invisible Victims
The first time I met Brian wasn’t in an office—it was at 1 a.m. inside Rino Bar. I’d just finished a modeling gig and went to celebrate with a group of models I had no interest in hanging out with, but got dragged along because, at that time, in my barely formed twenty-year-old brain, I had no boundaries, no will, no awareness, and no self-respect.
He was surrounded by suits, champagne, and loud promises. I blink back now at the memories.
They say it’s a “gift” to forget. And it is, in some ways, the whole ignorance-is-bliss thing. Because when you remember, you must process.
I remember some nights I barely made it home.
One night, after hours out, we ended up at his place. He thought he had killed me. I remember lying on the floor of his office, behind a desk, as he called a friend and told them he thought I was dead.
When I came back to enough consciousness to leave, he called me a cab. I took it home, vomiting silently on the floor the entire way to my family’s house.
For the democratically lucky, for those inside the Chicago deep state, my stories might sound shocking. But those on the inside know they’re nothing compared to what some women have endured.
The stories we young women trade could commission an entire report by the UN Human Rights Commission. But more often, these stories stay buried. Glossed over with a wedding, a smile, an appointment, a desk, a ring, a vacation, a new car—or whatever else the Machine uses to tempt you.
I might be the first of my kind—but hopefully not the last—to rip off those golden cage bars. To tell the Machine to bug off with its gifts, its false trade of silence for security and stability. To stand unapologetically in truth, not for accolades, acceptance, or achievement but for moral justice, character, and integrity.
Just because others go out of their way to make you a victim—or a “survivor”—doesn’t mean you have to accept those labels. In life, we are all victims of something or someone, in one way or another.
But it’s a choice to stay that way.
You always have the choice to make another decision. A better one. A wiser one.
One born from newly found clarity—or hard-won awareness.
The Business Model of Corruption
The throughline? Corruption isn’t an aberration. It’s a business model.
The Daley machine in Chicago didn’t invent it, but they scaled it locally while syncing it with global systems. It's not about envelopes stuffed with cash anymore. It’s about contracts, campaign donations, real estate flips, quantum parks,marriages, and tax-exempt shells.
That’s the real money machine.
Closing Reflection
The truth is that most journalists won’t write this chapter. But we don’t work for clicks. We write for record. In the end, the money machine is more than a personal story, memoir, or opinion; it is an unsealing of long-held secrets. The black boxes of leverage and Windy City backrooms have been pried open just enough to see their intricate connections. What a viewer finds inside isnot chaos, but chilling coherence: a machine wherein controlling the capital inflow and outflow, and the financial lattice of a city,became part of the same continuum of power. We have now documented how that system functioned and how its excesses ultimately betrayed it. As this codex falls into the hands of those with the authority to act, the signal is that this all-encompassing exposure shall ignite a final reckoning.
The Jesuits embrace a Latin maxim: Veritas liberabit vos—the truth shall set you free.
Then, the truth is laid out in chapter and in law, annotated with chapter and facts. May it free those who have been bound by lies, and it shall finally force the “powerful” to face the consequences of their choices and deeds, from the gilded living rooms of high society, the MacArthur Foundation, or Joyce Foundation philanthropic private parties to the marbled corridors of Chicago’s City Hall.
Until Chapter 5: the strings in this web, once glistening with golden glue, have melted from no longer being able to hold the weight of its heavy secrets. A weight which, delayed for too long, has now forced the largest unveiling in State history.
Sources
1. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/082614/blackrock-vs-vanguard-whats-difference.asp
2. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/blackrock/summary?id=D000067835
3. https://chicagoreader.com/news-politics/why-is-chicago-using-hedge-funds-to-invest-pension-money/
4. https://www.icij.org/investigations/panama-papers/
6. Posner, Gerald. God’s Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican. Amazon
7. Ginsborg, Paul. A History of Contemporary Italy: Society and Politics, 1943–1988. (Fiat & the Cold War)
8. Gladio & Fiat: Documented by Alan Francovich in Gladio (BBC documentary)
9. The Economist Group – now owned by Exor
10. Exor.com
11. https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/coldwar/interviews/episode-3/agnelli1.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com
14. https://bilderbergmeetings.co.uk/2018/agnellis/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
15. https://bilderbergmeetings.co.uk/category/italy/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hired_Truck_Program?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Disclaimer
The views expressed here are the author’s own, based on her personal experiences and interpretation of publicly available information. All individuals mentioned should be considered innocent of any wrongdoing unless such wrongdoing has been proven in court. This piece is not intended as a formal accusation against any person but as commentary on matters of public interest.
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Author’s Note
This series is a protected work of memoir and opinion, based on personal lived experience, investigatory research, and interpretation of public events. Allegations remain allegations unless proven in a court of law. This publication is offered under constitutionally protected freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and journalistic activity as recognized by U.S. and international law.
