Former Markham Mayor Gets 2 Years For Bribery Scheme

MARKHAM, IL — The former Markham mayor who had previously admitted he had taken part in a $300,000 bribery scheme while in office was sentenced to two years in federal prison, NBC 5 reports.

Former Markham Mayor David Webb's sentencing comes after he pleaded guilty to wire fraud and filing a false tax return. Webb served as mayor of Markham, a financially struggling suburb, from 2001 to 2017. He pleaded guilty to participating in the bribery scheme, and was indicted in 2017. NBC reported the bribes were the result of an out-of-control gambling problem.

According to the Associated Press, authorities said the bribes included payments made through campaign contributions, shell companies and small amounts of cash hidden in coffee cups.

Even though U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman was willing to sentence Webb with a shorter amount of time, as requested by prosecutors, he would not take the house arrest recommendation by Webb's attorneys into consideration, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Related: Markham Mayor Bribery Scheme: Homer Glen Man Sentenced

“They should be building statues to you, not cells,” Gettleman said to Webb, according to the Chicago Tribune. “This wasn’t a one-time thing, where it was, ‘I’m desperate, I’m behind in my debt to the casino’ or whatever. It was your idea to take these bribes to begin with.”

The Tribune reports that before Webb was sentenced, he apologized for his actions, saying, "I know I let myself down, I let the people down, the ones that loved me the most and the people of Markham."

In October 2020, a Homer Glen man was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for lying to federal law enforcement about his knowledge of the bribery scheme. Thomas Summers, 68, was convicted of making false statements to the FBI and the IRS. Agents interviewed Summers in November 2016 as part of a public corruption investigation involving bribes paid to Webb by contractors seeking to maintain or expand business with the town.

During the interview, Summers lied to agents when he denied having knowledge about bribe payments.

"Defendant showed no respect for the law," Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven J. Dollear and Georgia N. Alexakis argued in the government's sentencing memorandum in the Summers case. "He sat across from federal agents and lied. He lied to protect himself and Webb, and the corrupt relationship they shared."

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