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  1. #1
    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    Daughter of state rep. charged with stapling opponent’s head

    This happened a week before the primary. Democrat campaign violence a few days before the primary.
    Daughter of state rep. charged with stapling opponent’s head
    03/18/2016,

    Bradley Fichter and Jessica Soto | Chicago Police photos

    Jessica Soto, the daughter of state Rep. Cynthia Soto, was ordered held in lieu of $25,000 bail Friday for the attack Cook County prosecutors said left Zwolinski with a black eye, broken nose and six stitches to his forehead.

    Jessica Soto and Bradley Fichter, both 26, both face three felony counts of aggravated battery in connection with the March 6 incident in the 800 block of North Ashland.

    Fichter, also ordered held in lieu of $25,000 bail, was additionally charged with filing a false police report, another felony.

    Assistant State’s Attorney Erin Antonietti said the 30-year-old Zwolinski was driving up to his campaign office that night when he saw Jessica Soto and Fichter putting up Soto’s mother’s campaign signs right outside his office.

    When Zwolinski got out of the car, approached the pair and pulled his opponent’s sign down, an argument ensued and Fichter punched him in the left eye and Jessica Soto punched him in the rib area, Antonietti said.

    The blows caused Zwolinski to fall, Antonietti said.

    While Zwolinski was on the ground, Fichter got on top of him and punched him in the left eye and choked him, Antonietti said.
    Jessica Soto allegedly continued the attack by squeezing Zwolinski’s genitals, kicking him in the head, striking him in the forehead with a staple gun and using a beer bottle to pelt him in the nose.

    Jessica Soto then went to Zwolinksi’s car and threatened Zwolinski’s girlfriend while she sat inside, Antonietti said. At the time, Jessica Soto allegedly had the staple gun in her hand.

    Following the attack, Jessica Soto drove off with Fichter as witnesses noted the license plate of the car.

    About one and a half hours later, Fichter went to the 14th District Police station to file a report saying Zwolinski ripped off his “mother-in-law’s” campaign signs and beat him up, Antonietti said.

    When Fichter was taken to the hospital, he refused medical treatment and left, Antonietti said.

    Jessica Soto and Fichter, a gas reader who was an unpaid volunteer for Soto’s mother, turned themselves in to police this week.

    Their attorneys — Frank Avila and Steven Weinberg — said their clients were acting in self-defense.

    Avila, who told reporters Jessica Soto was never involved in the attack, stressed to Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil that the two had been putting up the campaign signs on vacant property.

    Kuriakos Ciesil said the case “baffled” her and said she was “saddened” by the state of politics.

    “This is an embarrassment to our entire country,” the judge said of Soto and Fichter’s case.

    Jessica Soto received supervision for a previous battery case and was arrested three other times for battery, Antonietti said.

    She also had an aggravated battery case for striking a person she thought took her phone with a beer bottle while they were in a bar, Antonietti said. That case was eventually dropped because the victim never turned up in court, Antonietti said.

    In light of this month’s attack, Zwolinski renewed his call for his opponent, Cynthia Soto to resign.

    “The girl was screaming, ‘This isn’t your territory! This is Soto’s territory!’ while I was being pummeled on the ground,” Zwolinski said.

    Avila said Zwolinski’s claim that Fichter and Jessica Soto were putting up campaign posters at Zwolinski’s headquarters is nonsense.
    Avila also questioned why Zwolinski held a news conference before going to the hospital to have his injuries treated.

    “He was doing interviews with a staple in his head,” Avila said.

    Avila questioned whether Zwolinski stapled his own head.

    After court Friday, Avila again passionately defended Jessica Soto, a mother of a 19-month-old.

    He said the charges were a “tragedy and travesty” of justice.

    “These charges are way exaggerated,” Avila said.

    “He [Zwolinski] approached them. … He provoked them by tearing down the sign. He initiated physical contact. … He should be on trial and he should be in jail. … This is politics at it’s finest.”

    Avila added that it was ludicrous that anyone would think his client — a “chunky” 5 foot 2 woman, could fight like Jackie Chan, Jet Li or Ronda Rousey.

    Cynthia Soto defeated Zwolinski in Tuesday’s primary election.

    http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2-c...use-candidate/


  2. #2
    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    Defense Lawyer Taunts Victim of Staple Gun Attack in State House Race


    By Alisa Hauser and Erica Demarest |
    March 18, 2016 7:48am


    WEST TOWN — The daughter of state Rep. Cynthia Soto kicked her mom's opponent in his head, stapled his forehead with a staple gun, hit him in the face with a beer bottle and grabbed his groin during an attack outside the rival's campaign office in the days leading up to Tuesday's primary election, prosecutors said Friday.

    Jessica Soto, 26, of the 1500 Block of West Ohio Street, and Bradley Fichter, 26, of the 4700 Block of North Kewanee Avenue, were each charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and aggravated battery in a public place.

    Additionally, Fichter was charged with one felony count of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report about the incident.
    The alleged attack took place around 9:15 p.m. March 6 in front of Robert Zwolinski's campaign office, 823 N. Ashland Ave., authorities said.

    Zwolinski pulled up to his office and saw Jessica Soto and Fichter putting up signs for Cynthia Soto nearby, prosecutors said.
    When Zwolinski got out of the car to confront them, Fichter punched Zwolinski multiple times before Soto punched him once, prosecutors said. When Zwolinski fell to the ground, Fichter hopped on top of him and began choking him until Soto pounced, prosecutors said.

    Zwolinski suffered a broken nose and needed six stitches to close a wound in his forehead, according to prosecutors.

    Zwolinski's girlfriend witnessed the entire attack from the car, prosecutors said. At one point, Jessica Soto allegedly went up to the car with a staple gun in her hand, opened the passenger-side door and threatened the girlfriend.

    Jessica Soto and Fichter then drove off, but several witnesses were able to get the license plate number of their car and report it to police.

    About an hour and a half later, Fichter walked into a Chicago Police station to file a report saying Zwolinski had attacked him, prosecutors said.

    After a bond hearing Friday, Jessica Soto's attorney, Frank Avila, called the charges "way exaggerated" and said "part of this is sour grapes because he [Zwolinski] lost the election."

    Avila called Jessica Soto short "and a little bit chubby," and questioned how a 5-foot-2 woman could attack Zwolinski, whom Avila described as a tall, muscular rugby player.

    "If he's going around saying a girl beat him up, that's really sad," Avila said. "Maybe it's good that he lost the race if he gets beat up by a little 5'2" girl that's not even strong."

    Avila claims Zwolinski started the fight the began on March 6 when he ripped down Soto signs, and that Zwolinski must have some kind of clout for Jessica Soto and Fichter to be charged.

    Zwolinski "should be on trial," Avila said. "He should be in jail."

    Jessica Soto previously spent 3 months on court supervision after being convicted in a 2011 battery case. She'd been charged three other times with battery and once with aggravated battery but was never convicted in those cases.

    In court Friday, Avila said Jessica Soto has a 19-month-old child and is a graduate of Lincoln Park High School. According to Fichter's attorney, Fichter works for a local gas company, lives with Jessica Soto and is a Lane Tech High School graduate.
    Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil ordered Fichter and Jessica Soto held in lieu of $25,000 bail each during the Friday bond hearing in which she also lamented the sad state of politics in the country.

    "I'm really sad ... by how this whole election period is going," the judge said. "It's an embarrassment to our entire country."
    Frank Avila, a lawyer representing Jessica Soto and Fichter, who are boyfriend and girlfriend, confirmed Friday that Jessica Soto is one of Cynthia Soto's three daughters. Avila said Jessica Soto was not the woman involved in the incident and said "it will come out in court."

    After the incident, Zwolinski, who posted about being attacked on social media before calling police, put up graphic photos on Facebook showing a smashed nose and blood dripping down his face from a metal staple embedded in his forehead, just at the hairline.

    "Politics is a contact sport. Apparently that's literally the case," he said on Twitter.

    In Tuesday's Illinois primary election, Zwolinski, 30, lost the race for the Democratic nomination to incumbent Cynthia Soto (D-Chicago) by a 4-1 margin, with Soto gaining nearly 80 percent of the vote.

    David Zwolinski, Bob Zwolinski's father, issued a statement early Friday on behalf of himself and his son.

    "We thank the Chicago Police Department for conducting a professional and thorough investigation. This is not Russia or Iran; a physical attack on a candidate is an attack on Democracy. The voters of the District deserve better. There is no room in our society for thugs and bullies," David Zwolinski said.


    First elected in 2001, Soto is a Democratic member of the Illinois House, representing the 4th District, which includes parts of Ukrainian Village, Bucktown, Humboldt Park, Logan Square, West Town and Wicker Park.

    Zwolinski, a Ukrainian Village resident and Democrat, helped to co-found the Wells High School Rugby Club in 2014 and works as a sales director, according to his campaign website. Zwolinski told DNAinfo Chicago on Tuesday that he prefers to keep the name of his employer private.

    https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016...-moms-opponent


  3. #3
    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    And her momma got her a State job....
    Campaign squabble turns violent; state rep's daughter charged


    Photos posted to Robert Zwolinski's Facebook account show what he said is the aftermath of an attack by a man and woman he confronted after he saw them plastering signs for his opponent for a state House seat at his campaign office March 6, 2016. Bradley Fichter and Jessica Soto, both 26, are charged with aggravated battery in the attack.

    Patrick M. O'Connell
    Chicago Tribune

    Politics in Chicago frequently is a rough-and-tumble affair but rarely does a campaign literally draw blood.

    That's what happened in the primary campaign, when an altercation turned violent, resulting in the firing of a staple gun to the face, a broken nose, stitches and a grab of the groin, Cook County prosecutors say.

    The squabble started when the incumbent's daughter and her boyfriend drew the attention of her mother's challenger by stapling campaign posters outside his campaign headquarters and ended with the challenger's face streaked with blood and a gash on the forehead.

    Three days after state Rep. Cynthia Soto, D-Chicago, soundly defeated Robert Zwolinski in the primary for the state's 4th District, Soto's daughter, Jessica, and her boyfriend stood before a Cook County judge Friday to face felony charges in connection with the scuffle.

    Prosecutors accused Jessica Soto and Bradley Fichter, both 26, of attacking Zwolinski on March 6 outside his campaign headquarters in the 800 block of North Ashland Avenue. Soto and Fichter were stapling pro-Cynthia Soto campaign posters to a nearby building when Zwolinski and his girlfriend drove past, jumped out of his car and approached the pair. An argument ensued.


    2 charged in beating of man in East Ukrainian Village

    What happened next is in dispute. Prosecutors said Fichter punched Zwolinski in the eye, striking him multiple times. Soto joined in, punching Zwolinski in the ribs and knocking him to the ground, they said. Fichter got on top of the politician, continuing to punch and choke him, they said.

    Soto then "squeezed his genital area," used a staple gun on Zwolinski's face and smashed an empty beer bottle on his nose, prosecutors said. Zwolinski suffered a broken nose and black eye and needed six stitches from the attack, according to prosecutors.

    The next day, Zwolinski posted a picture of himself on Twitter with a bloody gash on his forehead and his nose purple and swollen.

    "Politics is a contact sport. Apparently that's literally the case," he wrote.

    Frank Avila, Jessica Soto's lawyer, disputed the charges against his client, saying Zwolinski started the scuffle by tearing down the campaign posters, pushing Fichter and telling them to stop putting up the signs. His client acted in self-defense, he said.
    Avila called the charges "sour grapes," claiming Zwolinski had connections with the state's attorney's office and that the charges were filed only because of his election loss.

    "These charges are way exaggerated," Avila told reporters after the bond hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. "If he's going around saying a girl's beating him up, that's sad too. Maybe it's good he lost the race."

    Jessica Soto, of the 1500 block of West Ohio Street, and Fichter, of the 4700 block of North Kewanee Avenue, were each charged with three felony counts of aggravated battery, according to Chicago police. Fichter also was charged with a felony count of disorderly conduct for filing a false report with police.

    Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil pressed lawyers for specifics about the incident and expressed dismay that a political campaign had ended up violent.

    "I'm really sad at how this whole election process is going," the judge said, emphasizing that Soto and Fichter appeared to be within their rights when they were tacking the campaign posters up along the street.

    As the lawyers argued at the bench about who started the fight, Kuriakos Ciesil shook her head.

    "It's really sad this is going on," she said. "It's an embarrassment to our entire country."

    Bond was set at $25,000 for each, and both were ordered to have no contact with Zwolinski and his girlfriend or go near the campaign office or their homes.

    Cynthia Soto, who did not attend the court hearing, routed Zwolinski in Tuesday's Democratic primary, garnering nearly 80 percent of the vote. The 4th District includes the Bucktown, Humboldt Park, Logan Square, West Town, Wicker Park and Ukrainian Village neighborhoods.

    Zwolinski did not respond Friday to interview requests from the Tribune. But after the charges were filed, he thanked police and the state's attorney's office for their investigation.

    "Sadly, these facts came out after the election," he said then. "The real victims are the citizens of the 4th District."

    A spokesman for Secretary of State Jesse White said Jessica Soto has worked as an executive assistant in the driver's services department since August 2013 and was expected to submit a letter of resignation by the end of Friday.

    The spokesman, David Druker, said Soto was recommended for the $35,532-a-year position by her mother. It was a Rutan-exempt position, meaning political support or affiliation was allowed when considering who to hire for the job, Druker said.

    Avila insisted that Zwolinski provoked the attack. He also told the judge that Zwolinski is the one who should be facing charges.

    "Taking down somebody's sign and ripping it down is destruction of property," Avila said.

    He later said Jessica Soto did not even participate in the altercation, saying that witnesses misidentified her in a police lineup.

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...318-story.html




  4. #4
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    Hate crime! But the victim is a white male so they will likely let the attackers off with a slap on the wrist. If the white male had attacked the Latino's in this way he would be facing 10 years in jail in the unfair and unbalanced remnants of what was once America.

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