Trump Pardons Illinois Mayor Casey Urlacher In Gambling Case

METTAWA, IL — In his final day in office, President Donald Trump granted a full pardon to Mettawa Mayor Casey Urlacher, who faced up to 10 years in prison on gambling conspiracy charges.

Urlacher, the younger brother of the Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, was among 10 people indicted in February 2020 on charges stemming from an illegal sports betting ring. None of the others received a pardon.

One of them, the father of alleged ringleader Vincent "Uncle Mick" Delgiudice, has already pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy in exchange for federal prosecutors dropping other charges. Eugene Delgiudice was sentenced to one year probation with three months of house arrest in October.

Authorities say Vincent Delgiudice ran a multi-million-dollar illegal betting operation through a Costa Rica-based sportsbook, paying Urlacher and others a commission for helping him track down debts and distribute payments. He was scheduled to plead guilty in the case on Monday, according to court records.

Casey Urlacher pleaded not guilty on March 4. On March 12, his brother, Brian, posted images to social media showing him visiting Trump in the Oval Office beside a signed, autographed jersey. On March 23, Brian Urlacher made $5,000 in political donations, contributing $2,500 to Trump's Make America Great Again Committee, $1,875 to Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. and $625 to the Republican National Committee.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany issued a statement accompanying Urlacher's pardon.

"This pardon is supported by his friends and family, and countless members of his community," it said. "Mr. Urlacher has been charged with conspiracy to engage in illegal gambling. Throughout his life, Mr. Urlacher has been committed to public service and has consistently given back to his community."

McEnany's statement also notes that Urlacher is married, has a young child and does not get paid to serve as mayor of Mettawa, the Lake County village of about 550 people.

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Casey Urlacher was one of two people charged in gambling conspiracies among the 143 people to receive a pardon or commutation from Trump in his final hours in office.

The other was Hillel "Helly" Nahmad, heir to a New York art dealing fortune who owns an entire floor of Trump Tower. Nahmad pleaded guilty in 2013 to taking part in what authorities described as a $100 million gambling and money-laundering scheme involving Russian criminal networks. He served four months in prison.

Shortly after his indictment, Urlacher resigned from a position on the Illinois Civil Service Commission but decided to remain on as mayor of Mettawa while the criminal case against him remained pending.

"I fully believe that I will be exonerated of all of the charges," he said in March, the Daily Herald reported. In one sense of the word, he was correct.