Ex-Cook County official Patrick Doherty pleads guilty to several corruption schemes
Ex-Cook County official Patrick Doherty pleads guilty to several corruption schemes
A once high-ranking Cook County official pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday, admitting to a wide-ranging set of corruption schemes totaling $148,000 that involved the late state Sen. Martin Sandoval and ex-Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski.
CHICAGO - A once high-ranking Cook County official pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday, admitting to a wide-ranging set of corruption schemes totaling $148,000 that involved the late state Sen. Martin Sandoval and ex-Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski.
Patrick Doherty, 66, sat with his back to the gallery of a federal courtroom as a prosecutor read the details of the allegations against him. Eventually, U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman asked Doherty if it was true that he did "all of those things?"
"Yes, your honor," Doherty replied.
The judge accepted Doherty’s guilty plea and set his sentencing for Nov. 10.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE FOX 32 YOUTUBE CHANNEL
The case against Doherty is tied to several individuals who have already been charged as a result of the feds’ aggressive public corruption investigations. Most have already pleaded guilty.
That list includes Sandoval, Tobolski, former Worth Township Supervisor John O’Sullivan and suburban businessman Vahooman "Shadow" Mirkhaef. Another key player is Omar Maani, a onetime partner in the politically connected red-light camera company SafeSpeed LLC.
The feds originally hit Doherty in February 2020 with three counts of bribery in an indictment that revolved around his work as a sales agent for SafeSpeed.
Prosecutors then expanded the case against Doherty in May 2021, alleging he also schemed with Tobolski, who doubled as mayor of McCook, as well as Sandoval, who served as chairman of the Illinois Senate’s transportation committee.
Doherty served as Tobolski’s chief of staff at the county. Tobolski, O’Sullivan, Mirkhaef and Sandoval all pleaded guilty to corruption charges and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, though Sandoval died in December 2020. Maani also agreed to cooperate, but he struck a so-called deferred-prosecution agreement rather than plead guilty.
The original indictment against Doherty alleged he conspired to pay off a relative of an Oak Lawn trustee so the trustee would support the installation of red-light cameras at additional intersections there. O’Sullivan and Maani were also involved in that scheme.
The later indictment alleged that, between June and September 2019, Doherty and another SafeSpeed sales agent agreed to bribe Sandoval to oppose legislation adverse to the red-light camera industry’s interests.
SafeSpeed has not been charged with wrongdoing and has described Maani as a rogue actor.
The feds also accused Doherty of agreeing to take money from Maani in exchange for helping an unnamed Chicago-area development company, in which Maani had an interest, strike deals with McCook.
They said Doherty told Maani by phone on Sept. 6, 2018, to make a bribe payment to Tobolski, who then accepted $3,655 from Maani on Sept. 12, 2018. Nearly a year later, on Aug. 21, 2019, the feds say Doherty told Maani to bribe Tobolski with $2,500. On Sept. 4, 2019, they said Tobolski took $2,500 from Maani.
The next day, prosecutors say Doherty told Maani by phone he would make sure Tobolski signed a check from McCook to the development company. Doherty also said that whether Maani and the company could obtain additional work from McCook was "all contingent on what you can give …," according to the indictment.
Doherty also admitted Wednesday that he filed false tax returns for the years 2012-2018.