Is Chicago the Most Corrupt City in the Nation?

Corruption crimes are very complicated white collar crimes. Chicago is no stranger to these kinds of crimes.

A recent investigation found the Windy City remained the most corrupt major city in the country over the past four decades. However, Houston in Texas is coming up on the rails.

Research released in 2015 by the University of Illinois at Chicago political science professor Dick Simpson found corruptions levels remain high in Chicago, reported ChicagoBusiness.com.

The research pointed to 45 convictions for public corruption in 2013 – the most recent year figures were available – in the U.S. court district that covers the Chicago area.

Corruption in Chicago was considerably higher than Los Angeles that had 19 convictions and the Southern District of New York (Manhattan) with 13. However, Houston recorded the most convictions for federal corruption charges in 2013 with 83.

Chicago remained the most corrupt city in the longer term. In about 40 years since the U.S. Department of Justice began to collect data in 1976, the Northern District of Illinois, which includes Chicago, Cook County, and 17 other counties, had 1,642 corruption convictions, according to Simpson. That compared to 1,316 in Los Angeles and 1,260 in the New York district, which includes the Bronx, Manhattan, and six other counties.

However, when the figures are compared on a statewide basis, New York state had 2,657 federal public corruption convictions from 1976 and 2013, California had 2,549 and Illinois 1,982.

Corruption is often dealt with at a federal level and carries a heavy penalty. Illinois has a Public Corruption Profit Forfeiture Act.

It describes the crime of corruption as “a far-reaching, continuing and extremely profitable criminal enterprise, which diverts significant amounts of public money for illicit purposes.”

In December, Ald. Willie Cochran, a former Chicago police officer who once campaigned as a corruption buster, was indicted on federal corruption charges, reported the Chicago Tribune.

He is accused of looting a charity fund for seniors seeking bribes from a developer for bribes and obtaining money from a liquor store owner while spending the cash on gambling and on college tuition for his child.

If you have been charged with a white collar crime in Chicago, it’s important to hire an experienced criminal defense lawyer. Call the Abdallah Law Firm at (312) 229-0008.