Former top GOP aide indicted

The onetime chief of staff to former state GOP House leader Lee Daniels was hit with a nine-count federal indictment Thursday, accusing him of diverting taxpayer money to finance political campaigns and for shaking down a real estate venture to help a Republican candidate.

Michael Tristano, 49, of Glenview, credited as the driving force behind the GOP winning the House majority in 1994, was charged with fraud, theft and extortion for directing state employees to work on state and municipal campaigns on state time from 1998 to 2001. The charges stem from a three-year federal probe into the alleged Republican misuse of state workers, cars and expense reports in order to boost the party's chances of wresting control of the House from Democrats in the 1998 and 2000 election cycles.

By snagging Tristano, the feds appear to have taken a clear step toward Daniels, longtime House minority leader and state Republican chairman, who has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing.

The indictment also alleges that Tristano, former state lawmaker Roger "The Hog" Stanley and others steered $1.3 million in state money to Willow Springs to benefit a private real estate partnership. In return, the partnership ghost-payrolled a Downstate GOP candidate who sources identified as Harry Jankowski.