South Side Alderman Indicted On Multiple Bribery Charges

SOUTH SIDE, IL — Alderwoman Carrie Austin of the 34th Ward was indicted Thursday along with her chief of staff in connection to a bribery case involving taking furniture and other goods from a construction contractor in exchange for lucrative development projects.

Austin, 72, joins Aldermen Patrick Daley Thompson and Ed Burke as active aldermen involved in scandals relating to their positions. Austin is formally charged with one count of conspiring to use interstate facilities to promote bribery, one count of willfully making materially false statements to the FBI and two counts of using interstate facilities to promote bribery.

According to the indictment, Austin accepted gifts, such as home improvements, appliances and furniture, from a contractor working on a multimillion dollar project in her Far South Side ward. The indictment states the gift-giving began in 2016, shortly after the company was hired to build a 91-unit apartment building and make other infrastructure upgrades, a total $49.6 million development.

READ THE INDICTMENT HERE

Austin's chief of staff, Chester Wilson Jr., 55, is also charged with one count of conspiring to use interstate facilities to promote bribery, two counts of using interstate facilities to promote bribery, and an additional count of theft of government funds.

In October 2017, the unnamed contractor told Wilson he would help pay for a new HVAC system at Wilson's rental property. According to the indictment, the contractor said, "you help me a lot, and I'll help you."

Austin later authorized Wilson to give taxpayer funds from the 34th Ward budget to the contractor in order to pad the infrastructure improvement project, the indictment said. Federal officials also said the pair tried to coordinate to give the construction company owner access to one of the ward's tax increment financing (TIF) locations.

In addition to these charges, Wilson was also charged in a separate case where feds say he planned to buy Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at a reduced price. Officials said Wilson bought the card from a SNAP recipient for lower than the card was worth.