News: Gary Mueller & James Gallante; William G. Tomko Jr. & The Meadows Racetrack & Casino; & Harish Bhatt & Gov. Rod Blagojevich

***  Gary Mueller was sentenced yesterday to six months at a halfway house for his role in a racketeering conspiracy orchestrated by trash czar James Gallante to control the carting industry in Connecticut through a so-called "property rights" scheme which included the use of mob muscle and political corruption to quash competitition and inflate rates.

***  William G. Tomko Jr., owner of W.G. Tomko Inc., was convicted of felony tax fraud in 2005 but has had no problem getting construction projects at the The Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Pennsylvania. 

***  Yesterday morning the FBI executed search warrants on two Joliet pharmacies owned by Harish Bhatt who is a fundraiser for Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich:

Bhatt was investigated by Illinois State Police after Chicago pharmacy owner Jatin Patel claimed Bhatt encouraged him in 2005 to make a campaign contribution so his pharmacy would be treated fairly in a Medicaid fraud dispute. The investigation went nowhere. Bhatt denied he exerted any improper influence and said the investigation ended because of a lack of evidence. State police and federal corruption agents reopened the Bhatt investigation after claims the previous effort had been compromised.