Laidley now behind bars

Forrest David Laidley, 67, of Libertyville, is now registered at a federal prison in Oxford, Wis. He’s to serve a sentence for scamming investors and financial institutions through what federal prosecutors said was a Ponzi-style operation for retail and office projects. His release date is set for Oct. 24, 2015. Although he was supposed to be behind bars after a report date in January, Federal Bureau of Prisons records didn’t list Laidley as being in custody until this week. At one time, Laidley was a prominent real-estate lawyer who served the Archdiocese of Chicago and built the Village Green mall near Milwaukee Avenue and Route 22 in Lincolnshire through his Forrest Properties Inc. He pleaded guilty to one count each of mail and bank fraud. He was accused of fleecing investors of more than $9 million from 1999 to 2004. The Oxford penitentiary is 60 miles north of Madison, Wis.