UPDATE: Will Chicago Democratic Party State Senator Emil Jones III Win a Crook County Blue Ribbon?

From the Chicago Tribune:

“Jones is the ninth sitting or recent member of the General Assembly to be charged with federal crimes since Pritzker took office in January 2019, all but one of them Democrats. That list includes five of Jones’ former Senate colleagues — Democrats Martin SandovalThomas CullertonTerry Link and Annazette Collins and Republican Sam McCann — along with Madigan and former Democratic state Reps. Luis Arroyo and Eddie Acevedo.”

From the U.S. Attorney:

The Illinois Department of Transportation (”IDOT”) approved the installation and operation of red-light cameras within the State. In or around February 2079, 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 cameras. Senate BIII1297 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.

The Tribune thought this was a big enough deal to put the story on the front page yesterday.

In or around 20L9, 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 muncipalties that Company A served.

Blue Ribbon winner?

Beginning in or around April 2019, and continuing until in or around September 2019, at Chicago, in the Northern District of lllinois, 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; […]

On or about JuIy 17, 2019, JONES told Individual A that he would protect Company A and Individual A from legislation in the Illinois General Assembly concerning the operation of red-light cameras in exchange for $5,000 for JONES and a job for Individual B.

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.

On or about August 12, 2019, JONES and Individual A discussed how much money Individual A would pay Individual B.

= = = = =

The Tribune notes:

All Democrats.


Comments

UPDATE: Will Chicago Democratic Party State Senator Emil Jones III Win a Crook County Blue Ribbon? — 8 Comments

  1. Another Democrat ‘hoisted by his own pee-tard’.

    Note to self: quit bastardizing Shakespeare for my low brow laughs.

  2. I think it was Daddy Jones that was billed as the grant king of Illinois
    he was given more grants than anyone else….
    dats a whole lot of free money

  3. Daddy Jones was often described as Obama’s “political godfather,” and he was really close to Blago as well.

    Tony Rezko wasn’t the only connection between those two.

  4. Poor Emil.

    If he only accepted that Texas Legislative Internship I offered, where he’d get the tools to actually serve his constituents.

    He might have learned the legislative processes on how to ban Red Light Cameras, like Texas did in 2019 and avoided this mischief.

  5. What is needed is a full scale investigation of all the grants given to all Jones1 Jones2 and Jones3
    plus who gave them the grants and an accounting of what they did with the Grant money….

    Bu then I must be dreaming to think that could happen

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