Federal Grand Jury Indicts Suburban Chicago Police Chief for Allegedly Corruptly Accepting Money From Local Businessman –

CHICAGO — The Chief of Police in the village of Summit, Ill., corruptly accepted money from a local businessman intending to be influenced and rewarded in connection with the transfer of a liquor license to another individual, according to a federal indictment.

The indictment returned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago alleges that Chief JOHN KOSMOWSKI conspired with a Summit building inspector to accept more than $5,000 from the businessman in 2017.  The pair accepted the money intending to be influenced and rewarded in connection with the transfer of a liquor license to another person, the indictment states.  Kosmowski allegedly received a cash payment from the businessman on March 23, 2017, and then gave the building inspector a portion of it.

The charges allege that Kosmowski met with the building inspector earlier this year and informed him of the federal investigation into the payment.  During the meeting, Kosmowski allegedly sought to corruptly persuade the building inspector to mischaracterize the purpose of the payment from Kosmowski to the inspector by falsely suggesting that it was a loan, the indictment states.

The indictment charges Kosmowski, 54, of Lockport, Ill., with one count of bribery conspiracy, one count of bribery, and one count of obstruction of justice.  The building inspector, WILLIAM MUNDY, 59, of Summit, Ill., is charged with one count of bribery conspiracy and one count of filing a false tax return.  Arraignments in federal court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Ardam and Jimmy L. Arce.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.