Corruption in Illinois has been a problem from the earliest history of the state.[1] Electoral fraud in Illinois pre-dates the territory's admission to the Union in 1818.[2] Illinois had the third most federal criminal convictions for public corruption between 1976 and 2012, behind New York and California. A study published by the University of Illinois Chicago in 2022 ranked Illinois as the second most corrupt state in the nation, with 4 out of the last 11 governors serving time in prison.[3]

Federal

Several members of Illinois's delegation to the United States Congress have been convicted of crimes.

U.S. Senate

  • William Lorimer (R) U.S. Senator from 1909 to 1912. The Senate voted that Lorimer's election used corrupt practices and vote buying and declared it invalid. He was then removed from office.[4][5]

U.S. House of Representatives

  • Dan Crane (R), a U.S. congressman from 1979 to 1985, was censured in the 1983 congressional page sex scandal for having sex with a young congressional page.[6] Crane was defeated for re-election in 1984 and returned to dentistry.
  • Dan Rostenkowski (D) was a U.S. congressman from Chicago for 36 years, from 1959 to 1995. He was chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee from 1981 to 1994. After a federal investigation he was accused of various acts of corruption, such as accepting kickbacks, using official funds for personal expenses, and participating in what became known as the Congressional Post Office scandal. In 1996 he pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud and was sentenced to 17 months in prison.[7][8]
  • Dennis Hastert (R) was a congressman from 1987 to 2007. He was the longest-serving Republican Speaker of the House, from 1999 to 2007. In 2006, Hastert became embroiled in controversy over his championing of a $207-million federal earmark (inserted in the 2005 omnibus highway bill) for the Prairie Parkway, a proposed expressway running through his district.[9][10] The Sunlight Foundation accused Hastert of failing to disclose that the construction of the highway would benefit a land investment that Hastert and his wife made in nearby land in 2004 and 2005. Hastert received five-eighths of the proceeds of the sale of the land, turning a $1.8 million profit in under two years.[9][10][11] Hastert's ownership interest in the tract was not a public record because the land was held by a blind land trust, Little Rock Trust No. 225.[12] There were three partners in the trust: Hastert, Thomas Klatt, and Dallas Ingemunson. However, public documents only named Ingemunson, who was the Kendall County Republican Party chairman and Hastert's personal attorney and longtime friend.[11][12] Hastert denied any wrongdoing.[9] In October 2006, Norman Ornstein and Scott Lilly wrote that the Prairie Parkway affair was "worse than FoleyGate" and called for the Speaker's resignation.[13] In 2015, Hastert pleaded guilty to structuring bank withdrawals to evade bank reporting requirements, a felony. In 2016 he was sentenced to 15 months in prison. At his sentencing hearing, he admitted that he had molested several boys when he was a high school wrestling coach in the 1960s and 1970s, and that he had used the improperly withdrawn funds to buy the silence of one of the victims.[14][15]
  • Mel Reynolds (D) was a U.S. representative from 1993 to 1995. He resigned from Congress after being convicted of having sex with an underage campaign worker.[16] While serving a five-year prison sentence, Reynolds was convicted in 1997 of unrelated charges of bank fraud and using campaign finances for personal expenses.[17] He received a 6+1⁄2-year sentence but was released in 2001 when his sentence was commuted by President Clinton.[18] In 2017 Reynolds was found guilty of failing to file federal income tax returns.[19] He received a six-month sentence for this third conviction.[20]
  • Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D) succeeded Mel Reynolds as congressman from Illinois's 2nd congressional district, serving from 1995 until his resignation in 2012. On February 8, 2013, Jackson admitted to violating federal campaign law by using campaign funds to make personal purchases.[21] Jackson pleaded guilty on February 20, 2013, to one count of wire and mail fraud.[22] On August 14, 2013, he was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.[23]
  • Aaron Schock (R) represented Illinois's 18th congressional district, serving from 2009 until 2015. In March 2015, after controversy about his use of federal funds, Schock resigned from Congress. In November 2016, a federal grand jury indicted Schock on 24 criminal counts including theft of government funds, fraud, making false statements, and filing false tax returns.[24] Schock pleaded "not guilty" to all charges when arraigned on Monday, December 12, 2016.[25]

State

Governors

  • Len Small (R) the 26th governor, was found to have defrauded the state of a million dollars.[26]
  • Otto Kerner, Jr. (D) was 33rd Governor of Illinois, serving from 1961 to 1968. Following a 1973 trial in which his prosecutor was future Illinois governor James R. Thompson, Kerner was convicted on 17 counts of mail fraud, conspiracy, perjury, and related charges.[27] The federal bribery counts were dismissed. He was sentenced to three years in federal prison in Chicago and fined $50,000. Faced with almost certain impeachment, he resigned his position on the federal bench on July 22, 1974.
  • Dan Walker (D) was the 36th Governor of Illinois, serving from 1973 to 1977. After leaving office he pursued various business interests, and acquired the First American Savings and Loan Association, which was later declared insolvent as part of the savings and loan crisis. In 1987 Walker pleaded guilty to bank fraud and perjury for receiving improper loans from First American. He was sentenced to seven years in prison,[28] and was released after serving a year and a half.[29]
  • George Ryan (R) was the 39th governor of Illinois, serving from 1999 to 2003. Before that he was secretary of state from 1991 to 1999. In 2006 he was found guilty of fraud and racketeering charges for various acts that he committed in these two offices. He was sentenced to six and a half years in prison.[30]
  • Rod Blagojevich (D) was the 40th Governor of Illinois, serving from 2003 to 2009. He was the only Illinois governor to be impeached by the state House of Representatives and removed from office by the state Senate. In 2011 Blagojevich was found guilty of 18 counts of corruption, including attempting to sell or trade an appointment to fill Barack Obama's vacant seat in the U.S. Senate. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.[31] In February 2020, after he had served about eight years of his term, his sentence was commuted by then-president Donald Trump during his re-election campaign.[32]

State officials

  • Orville Hodge (R) was the Auditor of Public Accounts (predecessor office to the Illinois Comptroller) from 1952 to 1956.[33] During his term in office, he embezzled $6.15 million of state funds, mainly by altering and forging checks that were paid on the state's account.[34] Upon indictment, Hodge pleaded guilty to 54 bank fraud, embezzlement and forgery charges and was sentenced to a 12- to 15-year prison term,[33] of which he served 61⁄2 years.[34]
  • Paul Powell (D) was the Secretary of State. Though his salary was never more than $30,000 per year, after he died in 1970, his hotel room was found to contain $750,000 in cash kept in shoe boxes, briefcases and strong boxes, while his office had $50,000 in cash as well as 19 cases of whiskey and $1 million in racing stocks. Powell left an estate of $4.6 million, which a federal investigation determined Powell had mostly acquired through bribes he received for giving noncompetitive state contracts to political associates.[35][36]
  • John F. Wall (R) State Representative from Chicago in District 23, was found guilty of conspiracy and attempted extortion for accepting a $2,000 bribe in exchange for laws benefitting private employment agencies. He was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. (1971)[37][38][39][40]
  • Walter C. McAvoy (R) State Representative from Chicago, was convicted of extorting a $2,000 bribe from private employment agencies in return for favorable legislation. He was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. (1978)[41]
  • William J. Scott (R) Attorney General convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to a year in prison (1982).[42]
  • Jerome Cosentino (D) served two nonconsecutive terms as Illinois Treasurer, from 1979 to 1983, and from 1987 to 1991. In 1992 he pleaded guilty to defrauding two banks of several million dollars in a check kiting scheme.[43] He was sentenced to nine months of home confinement.[44]
  • Ron Stephens (Illinois politician) (R) State Representative from Greenville in the 102nd District, was arrested for DUI. He was found guilty, and since he had previous arrests for drug abuse, he was given 12 months of supervision, his license was revoked and he was required to take monthly drug tests. He then resigned his seat. (2010)[45][46][47]
  • Frank Mautino (D) is, as of 2022, the Auditor General, the state's chief financial watchdog. In May 2017 his former legislative campaign was fined $5,000 for willfully failing to provide information to an investigation of the campaign's spending.[48]
  • Nick Sauer (R) State Representative from the 51st District, was accused by his ex-girlfriend of posting revenge porn pictures on a fake Instagram account. Top GOP leaders urged him to resign, which he did. (2018)[49][50][51]
  • Martin Sandoval (D) was a state senator and chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. In 2020 he pleaded guilty to bribery and tax evasion, admitting that he had taken more than $250,000 in bribes in exchange for actions favorable to SafeSpeed, a red light camera company.[52][53]
  • Luis Arroyo (D) was a state representative. He resigned in 2019 after being charged with bribery for accepting payments to promote legislation favorable to the proliferation of sweepstakes machines. In 2021 he pleaded guilty.[54] In 2022 he was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison.[55]
  • Terry Link (D) was a state senator from 1997 to 2020, when he pleaded guilty to income tax evasion. He also admitted to spending campaign finance money on gambling. In exchange for a lighter sentence, Link cooperated with the FBI in its case against Luis Arroyo (see above).[56][57]

Municipal

  • In the 1980s, a federal task force known as Operation Greylord investigated corruption and malfeasance in the Cook County court system. Dozens of people, including judges, attorneys, police officers, and court officials, were eventually convicted of various crimes.[58]
  • In the 1990s, Operation Silver Shovel was an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation into political corruption in Chicago. Eighteen individuals, including six aldermen, were convicted of crimes. "At its conclusion, Silver Shovel had uncovered everything from labor union corruption to drug trafficking and organized crime activity," according to the FBI.[59][60]
  • Fred Roti (D) served as an Illinois state senator (1951–1957).[61] When his seat was lost to redistricting, he returned to precinct work, and took a patronage job as a drain inspector with the City Department of Water and Sewers.[62] In 1990 Roti was indicted for racketeering and extortion. On January 15, 1993, after deliberating 2+1⁄2 days, a federal jury convicted Roti of taking thousands of dollars in bribes. The jury convicted him on all 11 counts of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, bribery and extortion. The jury found him guilty of two out of three "fixing" charges, convicting him of taking $10,000 for influencing a civil court case and $7,500 to support a routine zoning change, both in 1989. But the jury cleared him of the most serious allegation, sharing $72,500 for fixing a Chinatown murder trial in 1981.[63][64]
  • Betty Loren-Maltese (R)[65] was the town president of Cicero from 1993 to 2002. She was convicted of helping to steal $12 million from a municipal insurance fund, and in 2003 was sentenced to eight years in prison. Cicero police chief Emil Schullo was among several others who served time for participating in the same scheme.[66]
  • Nicholas Blase served as mayor of Niles for 47 years, from 1961 to 2008. He resigned amid federal charges that he participated in an insurance kickback scheme.[67] Several months later he pleaded guilty to mail fraud and tax evasion, and admitted that he had pressured local businesses to buy insurance from a friend's agency in return for a share of the commissions, receiving more than $420,000 over a period of more than 30 years.[68] In 2010 Blase, then 81 years old, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison.[69]
  • Rita Crundwell (R) comptroller and treasurer for Dixon was arrested for fraud in 2012 after embezzling about $54 million over many years. The money was used to support a lavish lifestyle and her horse ranch, the Meri-J.[70] She pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced to 19 years and 7 months in prison.[71]
  • William Beavers (D) was a Cook County commissioner from 2006 to 2013. Before that he was a Chicago alderman from 1983 to 2006. In 2013 he was convicted of failing to pay taxes on hundreds of thousands of dollars he took out of his campaign fund and used for gambling and other personal expenses. He served a six-month sentence.[72]
  • Barbara Byrd-Bennett (D) was the head of Chicago's cash-strapped public school system. In 2015, she resigned over a $20,500,000 no-bid contract to her former employer SUPES Academy.[1] She subsequently pled guilty to multiple charges[73] and was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.[74]
  • In 2016, the state of Illinois filed a lawsuit against mayor Eric Kellogg and other officials of the city of Harvey, calling for an investigation into allegations of corruption and financial issues. The lawsuit also asked the court to invalidate the mayor's unilateral removal of several aldermen who opposed him.[75]
  • In 2018, David Webb, the former mayor of Markham, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and income tax evasion, in connection with a $300,000 bribery scheme.[76] In 2021 he was sentenced to two years in prison.[77]
  • In 2019 Donald Schupek pleaded guilty to embezzling $27,000 from the village of Posen when he was the mayor there.[78]
  • In 2021 Louis Presta, the mayor of Crestwood, resigned and pleaded guilty to taking a $5,000 cash bribe for favorable treatment of SafeSpeed, a red light camera company that did business with the town.[79] In 2022 he was sentenced to a year in prison.[80]
  • Tony Ragucci was mayor of Oakbrook Terrace from 2009 to 2020. In 2022 he pleaded guilty to taking $88,000 in a red light camera kickback scheme.[81]

Chicago aldermen

According to The Economist's profile of Edward Burke, "Criminality among the city's 50 aldermen is also astonishingly common."[82] Dozens of Chicago aldermen (city council members) have been convicted of corruption-related crimes.[2][83][84][85][86]

  • Thomas E. Keane (D), chairman of the Chicago City Council Finance Committee, was convicted in 1974 of mail fraud and conspiracy charges associated with questionable real estate deals. He was sentenced to five years in prison, and served a 22-month term.[87]
  • William Carothers was convicted in 1983 of extorting as much as $32,500 in remodeling work for his ward office from the builders of Bethany Hospital. He was sentenced to three years in prison.[88]
  • Edward Vrdolyak (D, then R) was an alderman from 1971 to 1987. In 2008 he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud for accepting a 1.5 million dollar kickback in a real estate scheme. He was sentenced to ten months in prison.[89] In 2019 Vrdolyak pleaded guilty to charges of income tax evasion connected to the state of Illinois's tobacco lawsuit settlement in the 1990s.[90] He was sentenced to another 18 months in prison.[91]
  • Isaac "Ike" Carothers (D) was an alderman from 1999 to 2010. He resigned after pleading guilty to accepting $40,000 in home improvements for backing a controversial project in his ward. He was sentenced to 28 months in prison. Isaac Carothers is the son of William Carothers, an alderman who was convicted of a similar crime in 1983.[92][93]
  • Willie Cochran (D), a former police officer, was elected alderman in 2007. In 2016 he was charged in a 15-count indictment with stealing funds "meant for poor children and seniors", taking bribes, and other crimes.[94] In 2019 he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.[95] He was sentenced to one year in prison.[96]
  • Ricardo Muñoz (D) was an alderman from 1993 to 2019. In 2021 he pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering, admitting that he had spent cash from a political fund on personal items such as sports tickets, meals and travel.[97] In 2022 he was sentenced to 13 months in prison.[98]
  • Patrick Daley Thompson (D) is the grandson of Richard J. Daley and the nephew of Richard M. Daley, both of whom served as mayor of Chicago. Thompson was the alderman of the 11th Ward from 2015 to 2022. He resigned after being convicted in federal court of income tax evasion and of lying to regulators about a bank line of credit that he received.[99] He was sentenced to four months in prison.[100]
  • Edward M. Burke was the alderman of Chicago's 14th ward from 1969 to 2023, the longest-serving Chicago city council member in history. On December 21, 2023, in a federal trial, he was convicted of 13 counts of racketeering, bribery and attempted extortion.[101][102]

References

  1. 1 2 "Where's Mine?". The Economist. June 6, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Gradel, Thomas J. & Simpson, Dick (2015). Corrupt Illinois: Patronage, Cronyism, and Criminality. University of Illinois Press. p. 41.
  3. ↑ Gradel & Simpson (2015), p. 50. New York and California, respectively, ranked first and second for federal public corruption convictions during this period.
  4. ↑ Chicago Daily Tribune. July 24, 1912. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ↑ Grossman, Ron (December 3, 2017). "How William Lorimer Was Expelled from the U.S. Senate". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  6. ↑ "2 Congressmen Face Constituents' Judgement on Reports of Sex with Pages". The New York Times. July 16, 1983. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  7. ↑ Rosenbaum, David E. (April 10, 1996). "Rostenkowski Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  8. ↑ Jensen, Trevor (August 11, 2010). "Former Rep. Dan Rostenkowski Dead at 82". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 McNamara, Melissa (June 22, 2006). "Speaker Hastert's Land Deal Questioned". CBS. Associated Press.
  10. 1 2 Merrion, Paul (June 14, 2006). "Group claims Hastert benefited from highway bill". Crain's Chicago Business.
  11. 1 2 Kimberly, James & Zajac, Andrew (June 18, 2006). "From the archives: How Hastert benefited from real estate sale". Chicago Tribune.
  12. 1 2 Gold, Matea & Narayanswamy, Anu (May 29, 2015). "How Dennis Hastert made a fortune in land deals". The Washington Post.
  13. ↑ Ornstein, Norman & Lilly, Scott (October 13, 2006). "Worse than FoleyGate". New Republic – via Center for American Progress.
  14. ↑ Davey, Monica; Smith, Mitch (October 28, 2015). "Dennis Hastert, Ex-Speaker of House, Pleads Guilty to Banking Violation". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  15. ↑ Meisner, Jason; Coen, Jeff & Gutowski, Christy (April 28, 2016). "Judge Calls Hastert 'Serial Child Molester', Gives Him 15 Months in Prison". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Congressman Convicted of Sexual Assault". The New York Times. Associated Press. August 23, 1995. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  17. ↑ O'Connor, Matt (April 17, 1997). "Reynolds Guilty of Fraud Counts". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  18. ↑ Felsenthal, Carol (November 30, 2012). "Mel Reynolds Got Out of Jail in 2001, Compliments of Bill Clinton. Why?". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  19. ↑ Meisner, Jason (September 28, 2017). "Judge Finds Mel Reynolds Guilty on Tax Charges, Marking His Third Conviction". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  20. ↑ Meisner, Jason (May 10, 2018). "Mel Reynolds Given 6 Months in Prison, Says He's 'Done with America'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  21. ↑ Rafferty, Andrew (February 8, 2013). "Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. admits to campaign finance violations". NBC News. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  22. ↑ Schmidt, Michael S. (February 20, 2013). "Jackson Pleads Guilty to Wire and Mail Fraud". The New York Times. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Jesse Jackson Jr. sentenced to years". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  24. ↑ Skiba, Katherine (November 10, 2016). "Former U.S. Rep Aaron Schock indicted on 24 criminal counts". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Ex-Illinois congressman pleads not guilty to spending scandal". Reuters. December 12, 2016.
  26. ↑ Merriner, James L. (2004). Grafters and Goo Goos: Corruption and Reform in Chicago, 1833–2003. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 978-0-8093-2571-9. OCLC 52720998.
  27. ↑ Frum, David (2000). How We Got Here: The '70s. New York: Basic Books. p. 29. ISBN 0-465-04195-7.
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  29. ↑ Pearson, Rick; Secter, Bob (April 29, 2015). "Former Gov. Dan Walker, Colorful Populist, Dies at 92". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  30. ↑ Schaper, David (November 6, 2007). "Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan Heading to Prison". NPR. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  31. ↑ Davey, Monica (December 7, 2011). "Blagojevich Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison". The New York Times. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  32. ↑ Shear, Michael D. & Haberman, Maggie (February 28, 2020). "Trump Grants Clemency to Blagojevich, Milken and Kerik". The New York Times. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  33. 1 2 "History of the Office". Springfield, Illinois: Illinois State Comptroller. Archived from the original on November 8, 2010.
  34. 1 2 "Orville Hodge, Auditor Who Robbed State". Chicago Tribune (web ed.). Chicago, Illinois. January 1, 1987. Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  35. ↑ Aschburner, Steve (December 10, 2008). "Déjà vu: Growing up with Chicago pols in the 'Land of 10,000 Snakes'". MinnPost. Archived from the original on October 27, 2011.
  36. ↑ Grossman, Ron (February 24, 2013). "From hero to bum in a flash". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  37. ↑ "2 Legislators Are Indicted In Illinois Extortion Case". The New York Times. May 16, 1975.
  38. ↑ "JOHN F. WALL". chicagotribune.com. July 2, 1994.
  39. ↑ "United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Barney Grabiec, Defendant-appellant, 563 F.2d 313 (7th Cir. 1977)".
  40. ↑ The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh District (1977). "The United States of America vs. Barney Grabiec, No. 76-2224".
  41. ↑ Peter Kendall (July 6, 1990). "EX-ILLINOIS REP. WALTER MCAVOY, 85". chicagotribune.com.
  42. ↑ "Ex-attorney General William J. Scott". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  43. ↑ O'Connor, Matt (April 15, 1992). "Cosentino to Plead Guilty to Bank Fraud Charges". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  44. ↑ Gibson, Ray & O'Connor, Matt (December 11, 1993). "Too Ill for Prison, Cosentino Still Does Business". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  45. ↑ "Ron Stephens, Illinois Representative".
  46. ↑ "'Ill Rep Stephens keeps pharmacist license, must submit to drug tests for DUI'". July 6, 2010.
  47. ↑ stltoday.com | May 12, 2010 | Ron Stephens pleads guilty to dui | KEVIN McDERMOTT |
  48. ↑ Garcia, Monique (May 15, 2017). "Top Illinois Auditor Fined $5,000 After Campaign Probe". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  49. ↑ "Illinois lawmaker Nick Sauer quits amid revenge porn allegations". cbsnews.com. August 2, 2018.
  50. ↑ Miller, Rich (August 1, 2018). "Sauer Resigns". Capitol Fax.
  51. ↑ "Illinois lawmaker accused of releasing nude photos of ex-girlfriend". politico.com. August 1, 2018.
  52. ↑ McKinney, Dave (January 28, 2020). "Former Illinois State Sen. Martin Sandoval Pleads Guilty to Bribery, Tax Evasion". NPR. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  53. ↑ Meisner, Jason; Crepeau, Megan & Mahr, Joe (April 2, 2020). "Guilty Plea Lays Bare Ex-State Sen. Martin Sandoval's Greed in Red-Light Camera Bribery Scheme. 'So Why Don't I Get That Offer?'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  54. ↑ Meisner, Jason & Long, Ray (November 3, 2021). "Ex-State Rep. Luis Arroyo Pleads Guilty in Bribery Case Tied to Sweepstakes Machines". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  55. ↑ Masterson, Matt (May 25, 2022). "Ex-State Rep. Luis Arroyo Gets Nearly 5 Years in Prison for Sweepstakes Bribery Scheme". WTTW. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  56. ↑ Meisner, Jason (September 16, 2020). "Former State Sen. Terry Link Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion Charge in Federal Court". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  57. ↑ Seidel, Jon (June 27, 2023). "Sentencing of Former State Sen. Terry Link Set for October". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
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  62. ↑ Smith, Sandy & Powers, Thomas (December 29, 1959). "11 in Roti Clan Get City Jobs". Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
  63. ↑ O'Connor, Matt (January 16, 1993). "Roti joins aldermen's hall of shame". Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
  64. ↑ Washburn, Gary (September 21, 1999). "Fred Roti 1920-1999". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  65. ↑ "Cicero 'Windows to the World' Betty Loren-Maltese". Illinois Police and Sheriffs News. Spring 1993. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  66. ↑ Fountain, John W. (January 10, 2003). "Top Official in Cicero, Ill., Gets 8 Years in Fund Theft". The New York Times. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  67. ↑ Long, Jeff (August 26, 2008). "Indicted 47-Year Niles Mayor Nicholas Blase Retires at 80". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  68. ↑ Ahmed, Azam & Kridel, Kristen (November 2, 2008). "Ex-Niles Mayor Pleads Guilty in Kickback Scheme". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  69. ↑ Coen, Joel (January 29, 2010). "Ex-Niles Mayor Nicholas Blase Gets Year and a Day". Chicago Breaking News. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  70. ↑ Grimm, Andy & Jenco, Melissa (April 18, 2012). "Small Town Rocked by $30 Million Theft Case". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  71. ↑ Jenco, Melissa (November 15, 2013). "Appeal Denied for Dixon Comptroller Who Looted Town of Nearly $54 Million". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  72. ↑ Schmadeke, Steve (June 30, 2014). "Appeals Court Upholds Beavers' Conviction". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  73. ↑ Meisner, Jason & Perez, Juan Jr. (October 13, 2015). "Ex-CPS Chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett Pleads Guilty, Tearfully Apologizes to Students". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  74. ↑ Friedman, Brandis (August 24, 2017). "Barbara Byrd-Bennett Headed to 'Camp Cupcake' for 4.5-Year Sentence". WTTW. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  75. ↑ Bailey, Lorraine (December 12, 2016). "Scandal-Plagued Chicago Suburb Faces State Scrutiny". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  76. ↑ Freishtat, Sarah & Pratt, Gregory (January 18, 2018). "Ex-Markham Mayor Pleads Guilty to $300,000 Bribery Scheme, May Go to Prison". Daily Southtown. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  77. ↑ Meisner, Jason (June 22, 2021). "Ex-Markham Mayor David Webb Jr. Gets 2 Years in Prison in Bribery Scheme that Included Cash-Filled Coffee Cups". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  78. ↑ Koeske, Zak (June 13, 2019). "Ex-Posen Mayor Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Village Funds". Daily Southtown. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  79. ↑ Meisner, Jason (November 17, 2021). "Crestwood Mayor Louis Presta Resigns, Pleads Guilty to Bribery in Red-Light Camera Probe". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  80. ↑ Meisner, Jason (April 25, 2022). "Ex-Crestwood Mayor Sentenced to a Year in Federal Prison in Red Light-Camera Bribery Probe". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  81. ↑ Meisner, Jason (May 23, 2022). "Ex-Oakbrook Terrace Mayor Tony Ragucci Admits to Taking $88,000 in Red Light Camera Scheme; Alleged Co-Conspirators Plead Not Guilty". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  82. ↑ "On the Make by the Lake. Chicago's Political System is Set up to Produce Corruption". The Economist. January 10, 2019.
  83. ↑ "Chicago's 'Hall of Shame'". Chicago Tribune. February 24, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  84. ↑ "Chicago Aldermen and Corruption Cases: Hall of Shame". Chicago Tribune. December 14, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  85. ↑ "A List of Chicago Aldermen Indicted, Raided or Implicated by the Feds, Criminally Charged or Convicted Since 2019". Block Club Chicago. April 30, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  86. ↑ "Chicago City Council Hall of Shame: Ed Burke Becomes 38th Member Convicted in Half a Century". Chicago Sun-Times. December 22, 2023. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  87. ↑ Davis, Robert (September 11, 1996). "Former Ald. Thomas E. Keane". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  88. ↑ "William Carothers". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  89. ↑ Grimm, Andy (January 19, 2011). "Vrdolyak Reports to Federal Prison". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 22, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  90. ↑ Meisner, Jason (March 7, 2019). "Ex-Ald. 'Fast Eddie' Vrdolyak Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for a Second Time in Little Over a Decade". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  91. ↑ Meisner, Jason (December 4, 2020). "Former Chicago Ald. Edward 'Fast Eddie' Vrdolyak Gets 18 Months in Federal Prison in Tax Case Related to Tobacco Settlement". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  92. ↑ Coen, Jeff; Lighty, Todd & Dardick, Hal (February 2, 2010). "Carothers Joins List of Shame". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  93. ↑ Lighty, Todd (June 24, 2010). "Carothers Sentenced to 28 Months". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  94. ↑ Meisner, Jason; Gorner, Jeremy & Dardick, Hal (December 14, 2016). "Ald. Willie Cochran Indicted on Thefts from Ward Charity". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  95. ↑ Meisner, Jason (March 21, 2019). "Ald. Willie Cochran Pleads Guilty – Finally – to Federal Fraud Charge for Misusing Campaign Funds". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  96. ↑ Meisner, Jason (June 24, 2019). "Defiant Ex-Ald. Willie Cochran Given 1 Year in Prison, Accuses Prosecutors of Misconduct: 'There's No Justice in This'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  97. ↑ Buckley, Madeline (September 27, 2021). "Former Ald. Ricardo Muñoz Pleads Guilty to Spending Campaign Funds on Sports, Travel and Other Personal Items". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  98. ↑ Meisner, Jason (March 17, 2022). "Ex-Ald. Ricardo Muñoz Sentenced to 13 Months in Prison for Spending Thousands of Dollars in Political Funds on Tuition, Trips and Sports Tickets". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  99. ↑ Meisner, Jason (February 14, 2022). "Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson's Conviction on Tax Charges Connected to Loan From Failed Bank Adds Chapter to Family's Political Legacy". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  100. ↑ Crepeau, Megan; Meisner, Jason (July 6, 2022). "Former Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson Sentenced to Four Months in Prison in Tax Case". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  101. ↑ Seidel, Jon; Woelfel, Mariah (December 21, 2023). "Ed Burke 'Had His Hand Out for Money.' Powerful Politician Convicted of Extortion, Bribery in Historic Verdict". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  102. ↑ Boyle, Colin (December 21, 2023). "Ed Burke Guilty Of Racketeering In Federal Corruption Trial". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
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