Jeremiah Wright's Daughter Can't Stay Out of Trouble as Federal Prison Awaits

The daughter of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright — the South Side pastor who became a source of controversy for President Obama in the 2008 presidential campaign — is a money launderer and accused ghost payroller and will be spending some time in a federal lockup.

Convicted of money laundering one year ago, Jeri Wright, 49, of Hazel Crest, has been free on bond as another investigation unfolds involving a ghost-payrolling scheme in Indiana.

On Monday, a federal judge ruled that there was probable cause against Wright in that scheme and revoked her bond, according to the Chicago Tribune, which reports that she traded her earrings for handcuffs and was led straight to jail.

» read the prosecution’s request to revoke bail, via the Sun-Times

Wright pocketed $11,000 from a $1.2 million state grant obtained by Country Club Hills Police Chief Regina Evans, her childhood friend. Wright helped Evans launder the grant money, which was intended for job training through an organization called We Are Our Brother’s Keeper.

Essentially, the only thing they kept was the taxpayer money intended to help people get jobs.

Wright’s sentencing will take place on March 20. She could get five to 20 years. Evans already has been sentenced to five years in prison.

After that trial, Wright began collecting a paycheck from an Indiana plastics company, but federal prosecutors say she’s been part of a ghost-payrolling scheme there and has performed no actual work in exchange for the $8,000 she received.

Her attorney tried to suggest house arrest, reports the Tribune, but the judge declined. Wright’s father retired in 2008 and owns a house in Tinley Park. Prosecutors said there is no evidence Jeremiah Wright was involved in any of his daughter’s actual or alleged scams.

He drew negative attention to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign when he proclaimed in a sermon,” the government wants us to sing ‘God Bless America.’ No, no, no, not God Bless America. God damn America ...”

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