We've written so much about the Tri-State Defender and multi-talented owner Tom Picou in the last two weeks that we felt like we should get his picture. Here it is, courtesy of the Chicago Tribune.
Former Defender managing editor Virginia Porter told the Flyer last week that Picou, nephew by marriage to John Sengstacke, founder of the Tri-State Defender and the Chicago Defender, was behind the weekly newspaper's long-running plagiarism scheme.
Porter said Picou "wrote" at least 184 stories and commentaries under the aliases Larry Reeves and Reginold Bundy. Many of the stories were stolen from other weekly newspapers.
Picou denied the charge but declined to talk about it. He earlier said that Reeves was an elderly white freelance writer who worked for free and was never seen in the office.
"Writers are a dime a dozen," Picou told us before he stopped talking. So are thieves.
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