The Daley administration Tuesday accused an O'Hare Airport concessionaire purportedly owned by an African-American of being a "front" for Panda Express and its clout-heavy partner: Tony Rezko, a chief fund-raiser for Gov. Blagojevich.

Crucial Inc. could lose its certification as a minority-owned business that gives the company a leg up on city contracts -- and ultimately could be barred from doing business with the city for the next three years -- if City Hall can prove its allegation that Panda was calling the shots. Crucial holds a 10-year concession agreement to operate Panda Express restaurants at O'Hare. The deal expires May 31, 2009.

Crucial's president is listed as Jabir Herbert Muhammed, former manager of the fighter Muhammad Ali and son the late Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad. But City Hall contends it was Panda Express -- and presumably Rezko, the California company's partner in more than 50 Panda Express restaurants -- who were really calling the shots.

An affidavit filed by the company in 1997 listed Rezko as chief executive officer of Crucial Inc. The company's current file with the city shows "some relationship" between Rezko and Crucial, though it's unclear what role he now plays, according to First Deputy Procurement Officer Lori Lightfoot.

"The ordinance requires that a minority not just own, but actually control and operate the business day-to-day. We found evidence in the file that suggested that was not the case with Crucial. In areas like determining the cost for services, marketing of goods and services and contract negotiations, there was information that suggested that another company -- namely Panda Express -- was essentially running the day-to-day operation," Lightfoot said.

Crucial Inc.'s status as an Illinois corporation in good standing appears to have been revoked by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, according to the office's Web site. There was no immediate explanation.

Earlier this year, City Hall removed Billy Goat IV's women's business enterprise certification. Billy Goat owner Sam Sianis initially claimed a city official told him to scratch out his own name and leave his wife's name on the O'Hare liquor license to cash in on the city's minority set-asie program.

One week later, Sianis changed his story. He told the Sun-Times, "Nobody said that to me: cross my name out. Everything from the beginning was in the wife's name. She's the owner of the O'Hare Airport [restaurant]. Not me. Just the wife. Everything in the wife's name. The lease -- everything. The full responsibility to the wife. She is the real owner."