Illinois Bribe Scandal: Feds Say Secretary Of State Employees Accepted Money To Pass Unqualified Applicants

Two former employees of the Secretary of State's Office that administered road tests have been charged with conspiracy to commit extortion after allegedly accepting about $40,000 in bribes to pass applicants who were unqualified to be issued driver's licenses.

A federal indictment was filed Monday against Christopher Wardlaw, 36 and Alanda Jackson, 31, both Chicago residents, following a 2009 investigation dubbed "Operation Paper Mountain" studying a crime ring also involved in selling fake identification documents, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The pair worked at the Secretary of State's Chicago South Facility at 9901 S. Martin Luther King Dr., the Chicago Tribune reports. Officials allege that between 2005 and 2007, Wardlaw and Jackson worked with several other former Secretary of State's office employees who had been previously charged with the same bribery allegations, and with falsifying state identification documents.

Wardlaw and Jackson allegedly offered guaranteed passage to customers in exchange for cash, passing individuals they road tested even if they failed or falsifying paperwork for customers who never took the test, according to the Sun-Times.

Extortion conspiracy charges carry a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the Tribune reports. The indictment is seeking forfeiture of $40,000, representing the estimated total the pair earned accepting bribes.

Comments

[gemini68]

02:32 PM on 11/16/2011

This isn't shocking to anyone who lives here and has seen how people drive. The majority don't seem to know even the basic rules of the road.

[Ed Hammer]

12:53 PM on 11/16/2011

The Tribune article says the 2 SOS employees received $40,000 in bribes. It also says Jesse White is canceing 3000 licenses. That comes to a bribe of $13 per license. Is that a sign the economy is bad? When I investigated SOS employees, the minimum bribe for a DL was $100. That would mean there is $360,000 of cash unaccounted. I think White's IG needs to dig deeper.
Two questions need to be answered. Who was the political sponsor for these two guys? Did any of the money end up in the campaign funds of any office holder? READ : One Hundred Percent Guilty available through www.consulthammer.com or at amazon.com

[Aldyth]

08:36 AM on 11/16/2011

Deja vu, all over again.

[SMAckley]

01:06 AM on 11/16/2011

Long standing tradition in Illinois. My neighbor bought his wife a driver's license in the 60s because she was too "nervous" to take the road test.

[gemini68]

02:33 PM on 11/16/2011

My mother took private driving lessons in her 40's after years of not having a driver's license. She was so nervous during her test and she couldn't parallel park. The instructor was annoyed and said "You pass. get out of the car. She had a license for ten years after. She never used it because she was too scared and felt like she didn't actually know anything.

[MilesLong]

12:30 AM on 11/16/2011

Really? {laughing}

Just drive the streets and watch the traffic...

Miles "They Could Have Have Asked Anyone" Long

[gemini68]

02:32 PM on 11/16/2011

Agreed.