The temptation to make a little extra cash on the side proves overwhelming for some in positions of regulatory power. Indeed bribery is the only way to win business in some countries.
So perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised about Chicago plumbing inspector Mario Olivella's conviction by a federal jury (Sun-Times) this week.
Olivella, 42, took bribes in exchange for letting plumbing code violations slide at a building on W. Granville in Chicago being converted into condominiums. His conviction on bribery and conspiracy charges was for that one instance of corruption, but you have to wonder what other buildings have received his dubious stamp of approval.
Prosecutors needed to prove motive in order to convict, which was easily established by records indicating that Olivella had a credit card debt of $105,000 and a $1 million debt to mortgage lenders. He was desperate for money and just so happened to have the perfect opportunity to get it. One of his payments was $9,000 in cash delivered in an envelope in the parking lot of a restaurant, according to trial testimony cited by the article.
On the other side of the fraud equation were Dumitru and Lavinia Curescu, a husband-and-wife development team charged with paying the bribes. Lavinia was acquitted of all charges, while husband Dumitru's case ended in a mistrial after jurors failed to reach consensus.
Olivella was snared by a federal sting dubbed Operation Crooked Code, which also caught ten non-city workers accused of approval-for-cash schemes.
- US Code: Bribery, Graft and Conflicts of Interest (FindLaw)
- List of Bribe-Related News (BribeWatch.org)
- What is a Conspiracy? (ABA Family Legal Guide, via FindLaw)
- Special Report: Operation Crooked Code (EveryBlock Chicago)
- Find a Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney (FindLaw)
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