Closing arguments are scheduled to commence on Monday in the bribery trial of Illinois State Senator Emil Jones III. The Chicago Democrat faces accusations of soliciting $5,000 in campaign contributions and securing a job for his former district office intern from an executive of a red-light camera company, in return for his legislative assistance in Springfield. Jones, aged 46, is charged with bribery, utilizing an interstate facility to solicit bribery, and providing false statements to federal agents. Of these charges, the most severe carries a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years, while the others could result in a maximum of five years each.
The trial, which extended over nine days, featured testimonies from FBI informant Omar Maani, co-founder of SafeSpeed LLC, along with Jones himself. A jury comprised of seven women and five men will begin hearing closing arguments at 8:30 a.m. Prosecutors have indicated that their opening statement and subsequent rebuttal will collectively span over two hours, while Jones’ defense team anticipates requiring at least two hours for their arguments. Following jury instructions from U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood, deliberations on the case are unlikely to commence before late in the day.
The proceedings allege that Jones accepted $5,000 in campaign funds from Maani in exchange for refraining from advancing legislation that called for a comprehensive study of red-light cameras, a measure SafeSpeed perceived as detrimental to its financial interests. Additionally, Jones purportedly pledged to shield the company from then-State Representative David McSweeney, who had introduced bills advocating for a total prohibition of red-light cameras. The allegations further claim Jones requested Maani to provide a part-time job to his former intern, resulting in $1,800 being paid for unperformed work.
Jones is the first incumbent member of the State General Assembly to stand trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse since then-State Representative Derrick Smith was convicted of bribery a decade ago. A conviction would necessitate Jones’ resignation under Illinois law and likely lead to the forfeiture of future pension benefits.
Central to the case is a series of clandestine recordings made by Maani during meetings with Jones and then-State Senator Martin Sandoval, head of the Senate Transportation Committee, who was involved in accepting cash payments from Maani to act as SafeSpeed’s advocate within the General Assembly. Sandoval, who had pleaded guilty to bribery charges, was cooperating with law enforcement when he succumbed to COVID-19 complications in December 2020.
One such video, shot during a July 2019 meeting between Jones and Maani at Steak 48 on North Wabash Avenue, captures a conversation in which Maani inquired about the amount Jones wished to raise at an upcoming fundraiser. Jones initially sidestepped the inquiry, stating that no one had ever posed such a question before. However, after Maani expressed his eagerness to meet expectations, Jones specified, “If you can raise me five grand, that’d be good,” to which Maani promptly agreed.
Testifying in his defense, Jones characterized Maani as resembling a “used car salesman” and claimed his intention was to dismiss Maani’s overtures. He asserted that the internship request was merely a routine job recommendation for a family friend, unconnected to any red-light camera legislation. Jones recounted that when FBI agents arrived at his door on September 24, 2019, coinciding with the raid on Sandoval’s offices, he chose to cooperate with them, confident of his innocence and with nothing to conceal.