CHICAGO (AP) — The mayor of a suburban Chicago village is facing federal bribery charges in connection with a politically connected red-light camera firm.
An indictment unveiled Friday reveals Crestwood Mayor Louis Presta is also charged with filing false tax returns and lying to the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service. Prosecutors say the 69-year-old Presta sought and received benefits from SafeSpeed while the company sought to expand its services in Crestwood. Investigators say during an interview, Presta asserted he never received anything from SafeSpeed. When shown a recording of a March 7, 2018 meeting at which the feds say he accepted an envelope containing $5,000 cash, Presta allegedly said it had no money.
Telephone calls to Presta for comment weren’t immediately returned.