Ex-manager of Chicago's red-light traffic camera ticketing program is federally indicted
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Updated: A retired former City Hall manager of a Chicago program that used cameras to issue traffic tickets to drivers who ran red lights has been federally indicted.
John Bills is charged in a claimed bribery scheme involving more than $2 million. Federal prosecutors say he accepted money and other benefits, including an Arizona condominium, from Redflex Traffic Systems, the city’s longtime vendor in the red-light ticketing program, the Chicago Tribune reports.
A personal friend of Bills, who was paid more than $2 million by Redflex, allegedly acted as a conduit in the scheme. Bills is accused of seeking a bribe from Redflex before the city signed a contract with the company in 2003.
The article doesn’t include any comment from Bills, who was arrested Wednesday, or his legal counsel.
The city’s mayor, Rahm Emanuel, terminated Chicago’s relationship with Redflex after a bribery scandal erupted in 2012.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Red-light camera firm axed by city as corruption investigation heats up”
Updated at 3:15 p.m. to include new details from expanded Chicago Tribune article.
