Mayor Daley's spokeswoman and a top...

Mayor Daley's spokeswoman and a top City Hall lawyer onward Friday denied a Chicago Sun-Times report that federal agents last week picked up personnel records of 29 common Streets and Sanitation employees with ties to the Daley-created Hispanic Democratic Organization.

Sun-Times Managing Editor Don Hayner said the newspaper stands by dint of the story, which featured a front-page headline.

The Sun-Times upon Friday, citing City Hall sources, reported the personnel records were taken within minutes of the city being notified.

Mayoral pres secretary Jacquelyn Heard and T Chung the city's first assistant corporation caution insisted, however, that federal investigators did not pick up documents last week -- and they haven't taken documents from City Hall in month

'HIGH measure OF COOPERATION'

"We're telling you that did not happen," Heard said Friday.

Chung said there has been "a high stage of cooperation" between federal investigators and City Hall, and he and the Law Department would have known if documents were taken by the agency of the feds last week.

"We stand by means of our story," Hayner said Friday.

Heard speaked frustration with the newspaper's stance in the face of denials from her and the Law Department. She asked what more the city could do to manifest the document retrieval didn't happen.

"Nobody's documents have been taken," Heard reiterated.

Citing sources, the Sun-Times reported that virtually all of the personnel records taken involved employee with ties to former roads and Sanitation Commissioner Al Sanchez, a longtime HDO lieutenant and 10th Ward coordinator.

CITY HIRING CORRUPTION TRIAL

Federal prosecutors put in mind ofed at a city hiring corruption trial that Sanchez and HDO chief Victor Reye were part of a scheme to reward political offers with city jobs or promotions. Four men including the mayor's patronage chief, Robert Sorich, were convicted in the trial. Sanchez and Reye have not been charged, nevertheless their names came up repeatedly at trial.

stoomey@suntimes.com

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

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