Arlington Hts. company admits to using ex-Bear as front man

A Bensenville man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a contracting scam involving a former Chicago Bears running back who's accused of serving as a minority front for him.

Aidan E. Monahan, 58, is the owner of Monahan Landscape Co. Inc. of Arlington Heights. He had held the exclusive contract to mow lawns at Chicago Public Schools when the school district decided in 1992 to set aside a number of the schools for minority general contractors who themselves performed at least 50 percent of the work.

Rohar was a trucking company based in Algonquin owned by Roland Harper, the former running back drafted in 1975 alongside Walter Payton.

An address was not available for Harper, but at one time he lived in Algonquin.

Although Rohar was not a landscaping company, it bid on the project in conjunction with Monahan as a subcontractor, and both Monahan and Harper represented that Rohar would perform 50 percent of the work.

"Rohar did not, in fact, perform a commercially independent function," Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Miller told U.S. District Judge John Darrah Wednesday in court.

Instead, Monahan ran the show, performing most of the contract activity from 2003 to 2006 and directing the management, invoice and payroll functions on the contract, Miller said. Monahan even received and cut checks on Rohar's account, she said.

Monahan, appearing before Darrah in an orange jumpsuit, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud but also admitted that he made cash payoffs for at least five years to a CPS employee, who was not identified.

Although Monahan admitted to doing most of the work, his lawyers plan to dispute some of the government's accounts of "who really was in control and who directed whom," said Jeff Steinback, Monahan's lawyer.

Harper's lawyer, meanwhile, pinned things squarely on Monahan's back.

"Roland Harper is a good man who several years ago unfortunately became involved with Aidan Monahan," said Patrick Cotter, Harper's attorney. "He thought Mr. Monahan was going to mentor him in the landscaping business, and it did not work out that way and Mr. Harper became involved in something he should not have."

Harper cooperated fully with authorities when they approached him and will continue to do so, Cotter said.

Harper is due in court on Tuesday to be arraigned and enter a plea. Cotter did not say what the plea would be but hinted that eventually Harper will admit fault.

"He has accepted responsibility for his actions and will do so in court," Cotter said.

Although white collar criminals are typically given bond in cases like these, Monahan had been held in custody in part because he was arrested in Mexico and extradited when the indictment was released. Prosecutors had argued at his bond hearing that he left for Mexico before his arrest in part because he knew DUI charges had been issued for him, even if he was not aware of the charges in this case.

He was scheduled to be released after Wednesday's court appearance, however, after he and his wife agreed to post $540,000 in cashiers checks and another $2.5 million worth of property.

Monahan faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on the mail fraud count, although that maximum is almost never administered, and prosecutors estimate federal guidelines will ultimately recommend 46 to 57 months in prison. Monahan has agreed to pay $25,000 in restitution and forfeit another $100,000 realized as part of the scheme.

Harper finished his career as sixth on the Bear's all-time rushing list. He accounted for 3,044 yards and 15 touchdowns on 757 carries over seven seasons. The Shreveport, La., native's best season was in 1978 when he rushed for 992 yards and caught 43 passes for 340 yards.

Outside of his foray into landscaping with Monahan, his trucking company and those contracts appeared to be genuinely his own work, authorities said.

"He appears to be a legitimate business otherwise," said James M. Sullivan, the Inspector General for Chicago Public Schools, who aided in the investigation.