Robert Cooley

Bob Cooley protests too much when he's called a corrupt lawyer. Didn't he follow in the family footsteps and become a cop? Might have stayed there too if it was all as safe as the bookmaking on the side. Yes, he was mobbed up, but so were the politicians and the judges. And sure, he fixed cases, but he'd give the judge a reason to toss the case. See? Helpful guy.

The government mole in Operation Gambat gets no respect. Hey, he quit gambling to please the feds! Didn't he skip the witness protection program? And why'd it take so long to go after the big shots? The old, old 1st Ward was mapped to the Loop but married to the mob, and Cooley had a view from a Counsellors Row restaurant booth. The curious ethics of this clueless joker help juice up his breezy wiseguy tale. I think he's funny but he does not amuse me.

Gambat carved out an exception to double jeopardy: Hitman Harry Aleman's acquittal didn't count because Cooley fixed the case. Yet, Aleman died in prison, Counsellors Row's now a Qdoba and Gambat is fading into the realm of quaint I-Team flashbacks. It probably irks Cooley no end that Wikipedia credits Gambat cases to Operation Greylord. Hey, that was some other mole!… (mais)