Chicago Ald. Carrie Austin, chief of staff indicted on federal bribery charges
Ald. Carrie Austin under federal indictment for bribery
Chicago alderman Carrie Austin and her new chief of staff are facing federal bribery charges for allegedly conspiring to receive home improvements from construction contractors seeking assistance for a development project in her Far South Side ward.
CHICAGO - Chicago Ald. Carrie Austin and her chief of staff face federal bribery charges for allegedly conspiring to receive home improvements from construction contractors seeking assistance for a development project in her Far South Side ward.
Ald. Austin, 72, is charged with one count of conspiring to use interstate facilities to promote bribery, two counts of using interstate facilities to promote bribery and one count of willfully making false statements to the FBI.
Austin’s Chief of Staff, Chester Wilson Jr., 55, of Chicago, is charged with one count of conspiring to use interstate facilities to promote bribery, two counts of using interstate facilities to promote bribery and one count of theft of government funds.
According to the indictment, a construction company planned to construct a residential development in Austin’s ward starting in 2014 at a cost of approximately $49.6 million.
Under the agreement with the city, the construction company was responsible for making infrastructure improvements within the project. This included construction of new interior streets, street lighting, landscaping and sidewalk improvements.
The company was also eligible to receive more than $10 million in tax increment financing and other payments from the city.
The indictment alleges that beginning in 2016, Austin and Wilson were provided with personal benefits by the owner of the company, and other contractors, in an effort to influence them in their official capacities.
The benefits included home improvements, furniture and appliances for Austin’s residence, and home improvement materials and services for rental properties owned by Wilson, the indictment states.
In June 2017, a contractor on the development project paid an invoice for $5,250 to cover a portion of the purchase price of kitchen cabinets at Austin's residence. According to the charges, the invoice falsely represented that the cabinets were for an address within the development.
According to the indictment, in July 2017, Austin allegedly accepted from a contractor on the project an offer to pay for two "brand new" and "expensive" sump pumps, and to have the contractor’s family member buy and install a new dehumidifier.
Additionally, Wilson allegedly solicited benefits from a contractor on the project for his rental property, including services for "heating and air."
In October 2017, the contractor told Wilson that he would pay for a portion of a new HVAC system at Wilson’s property because, "you help me a lot, and I’ll help you," the indictment states.
Austin and Wilson also allegedly authorized the expenditure of aldermanic menu funds to benefit the construction company for infrastructure within the development.
On several occasions in 2017 and 2018, Austin allegedly coordinated with the construction company owner to seek the city’s release of TIF and other payments.