We don't know if anyone has actually said that to embattled state Auditor General Frank Mautino, but we suspect a few people have been tempted to do so.
Mautino is like the bad little boy who hides under his bed or in his clothes closet after his mother tells him he's going to get a whipping when his father gets home. He's hoping that his dad will forget about him and not come looking for him, the whole thing will blow over eventually, and he can slink back out into public without an extra set of rosy cheeks.
The only problem is, mom keeps discovering more things that little Frankie did wrong and adding them to the list she's preparing for dad. There's no way he's going to escape justice this time.
Sure, Mautino has connections, but that strength is also his weakness. He's used those connections to his advantage and is no doubt calling in all his favors now, but all those people who owe him one are only going to go so far to save him. When they start getting the sick feeling that he's going to drag them down with him, they'll turn on him, and fast.
The Edgar County Watchdogs who broke the story on Mautino at their Illinois Leaks website have kept up a steady drip of incriminating drops, reporting on April 21 that Mautino's campaign treasurer had testified before a grand jury early last year, revealing, among other things, that Mautino's campaign organization did not own any campaign vehicles, while claiming to be buying gas for them at Happy's Super Service Station.
And the payments to Spring Valley City Bank were really checks cashed by Mautino in large amounts to be distributed without explanation.
On April 25, the Watchdogs cited information from the latest Shakman case report showing that Mautino facilitated patronage hiring for persons manifestly unqualified for their positions.
You can't hide forever, Frankie.