MR WEBIO tries to escape

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: chicagotribune.com : Prosecutors seek to revoke swindler's bond for lying about cancer : David Hernandez faked medical claim to avoid sentencing and is a flight risk, U.S. attorney's office says : By Julie Wernau, Tribune reporter : 9:07 PM CDT, August 26, 2010 : Advertisement : : The government is asking a federal judge to revoke the bond of David Hernandez, saying he attempted to delay his sentencing on a fraud conviction by fabricating a letter from a doctor that said he was starting treatment for cancer. : Hernandez, of Downers Grove, pleaded guilty in January to a Ponzi-style scheme that bilked more than 200 people of their savings. The swindle allegedly garnered $6.3 million for Hernandez, who bankrolled a now-defunct Chicago sports-talk radio station and made personal purchases. : Federal prosecutors say the fake letter indicates Hernandez is a flight risk, citing a previous case against Hernandez in which he threatened to flee. In addition to the letter, which indicated that he would undergo several months of cancer treatment, including radiation, chemotherapy and surgery, Hernandez failed to show up in court for a status hearing Aug. 19 after his wife claimed he had a stroke, according to court documents. : A pretrial services officer said they were able to verify that Hernandez was in the hospital but not that he had a stroke, court documents indicate. Hernandez said test results were negative and no follow-up appointments were scheduled, according to the officer. : "The brazen nature of defendant's current deceptive acts demonstrates that the risk of non-appearance has heightened,'' the U.S. attorney's office said in its motion seeking to revoke Hernandez's bond. : Hernandez was arrested Thursday morning, and a judge allowed him to return home until Sept. 1, when he will decide whether to revoke bond. Hernandez, who is tracked with a monitoring device, faces up to 14 years in prison. : Hernandez, who has a history of personal bankruptcies, fled the Chicago area in June 2009 after the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil suit against him in connection with the investment scheme. He was captured a week later after a suicide attempt at a Normal, Ill., hotel. : Hernandez's arrest brought down Internet-based Chicago Sports Webio, a sports-talk Web site created by Chicago radio personality Mike North while sitting out the remainder of his contract with CBS Radio's WSCR-AM 670. North recently announced he will join Fox Sports Radio. : Umang Patel, a doctor at the Woodridge Clinic who had allegedly signed the letter saying Hernandez had cancer, told a federal agent his signature had been forged and that Hernandez did not have cancer. : Efforts to reach Patel were unsuccessful. Attorneys representing Hernandez and the government declined comment. : jwernau@tribune.com

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