Crestwood mayor expected to plead guilty to red-light camera bribery scheme

CRESTWOOD, Ill. - Crestwood's mayor is planning to plead guilty to a red-light camera bribery scheme.

Louis Presta's attorney asked a judge Thursday to cancel the mayor's upcoming trial ahead of a potential plea. 

The 69-year-old is accused of accepting a $5,000 bribe from 'Safespeed' in exchange for expanding its services in the city.

In August of 2020, Presta was also charged with filing false tax returns and lying to the FBI and IRS in connection to money he allegedly took in a 2018 meeting with a representative of the red-light camera company, according to a report.

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According to the indictment released last year, the red-light camera company was providing camera services to Crestwood that enabled the municipality to issue tickets to motorists for certain traffic violations.  

While working with the company, Presta asked for and accepted benefits from representatives of the company.

The charges against Presta are part of a wide-ranging federal investigation into the red-light camera company.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.