State Senator Emil Jones III Charged With Felonies: Racketeering, Bribery, Official Misconduct, False Statements –

Chicago, IL. (ECWd) –

Illinois State Senator Emil Jones III was Charged in a three-count Complaint with conversion, racketeering, bribery, official misconduct, and false statements in the Northern District of Illinois.

This dealt mostly with the controversial red-light camera issues.

From among the Charges (read it below):

• The Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) approved the installation and operation of red-light cameras within the State. In or around February 2019, JONES introduced a bill, namely, Senate Bill 1297, that would require IDOT to conduct a statewide study of automated traffic law enforcement systems, which included red-light Senate Bill 1297 would require IDOT to report on the overall operation, usage, and regulation of automated traffic enforcement systems, and to propose any recommendations IDOT deemed necessary concerning such systems.
• In or around 2019, JONES agreed that, in exchange for benefits provided by Individual A to JONES and Individual B, JONES would oppose legislation that required the study of automated traffic enforcement systems located outside of Chicago, and would limit any legislation regarding IDOT’s study of and recommendations concerning automated traffic law enforcement systems to those automated traffic enforcement systems utilized in Chicago, thereby excluding from study and recommendations automated traffic enforcement systems utilized in numerous other municipalities that Company A served.
• Beginning in or around April 2019, and continuing until in or around September 2019, at Chicago, in the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, and elsewhere, EMIL JONES, III, defendant herein, as an agent of the State of Illinois, corruptly solicited, agreed to accept, and accepted things of value from Individual A, namely a $5,000 payment and money for Individual B, intending to be influenced and rewarded in connection with a business, transaction, and series of transactions of the State of Illinois involving a thing of value of $5,000 or more, namely, legislation in the Illinois General Assembly concerning the operation of red-light cameras
• used a facility in interstate commerce, namely, an email account and associated communication network operated by service provider Google, with intent to promote, manage, establish, carry on, and facilitate the promotion, management, establishment, and carrying on of an unlawful activity, namely, a violation of 720 ILCS 5/33-l(d) (Bribery) and 720 ILCS 5/33-3(a)(4) (Official Misconduct), and thereafter, the defendant did perform and attempt to perform an act to carry on and facilitate the promotion and carrying on of said unlawful activity
• On or about August 8, 2019, JONES told Individual A that if individual A contributed $5,000 by sponsoring an event, JONES and Individual A would not have to report that contribution on Illinois campaign contribution reports
• defendant herein, did knowingly and willfully make a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement and representation in a matter within the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, an agency within the executive branch of the government of the United States