South Cook News

Former Worth Township supervisor and former Illinois state representative John O’Sullivan pleaded guilty to plotting to pay bribes as part of a stoplight camera ring in Oak Lawn, The Pantagraph reported.

O’Sullivan entered his bribery conspiracy plea in federal court, admitting before Judge Harry Leinenweber that he conspired with a SafeSpeed stoplight camera company executive and fellow Democratic operative Patrick Doherty to pay $4,000 in bribes in exchange for the official support of an Oak Lawn trustee as part of a plan to install cameras at other intersections across the area, according to The Pantagraph.

"Another member of the Illinois Crime Ring bites the dust," the Illinois Republican Party posted on Facebook.

According to The Pantagraph, O'Sullivan, an ally of former longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan, joins a long line of former lawmakers and political operatives cooperating with a wide-ranging federal corruption probe. That probe also includes how suburban liquor licenses were doled out.

At sentencing, O’Sullivan could receive as much as two years in prison, and his deal also calls for him to provide truthful testimony. Prosecutors will recommend a reduced if he does so, The Pantagraph reported.

O’Sullivan worked as a paid “sales consultant” for SafeSpeed at a time when company executive Omar Maani was cooperating with federal investigators via recorded calls and meetings, The Chicago Tribune reported. Maani was formally charged in 2020 with bribery conspiracy as part of an agreement with prosecutors to dismiss the case if he continued to cooperate.

Doherty, also charged in connection with the scheme, awaits trial, according to The Chicago Tribune.

Through it all, SafeSpeed has denied any wrongdoing and continues to insist both Doherty and Maani were acting without its knowledge.