Mistrial declared in federal bribery trial of Illinois state Sen. Emil Jones III after jury deadlocks on all three counts
CHICAGO — The corruption trial of state Sen. Emil Jones III ended in a mistrial Thursday, as the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision on any of the three counts in the case, including bribery.
Jones was charged with of agreeing to take bribes from an executive of a red-light camera company in exchange for Jones' protection in Springfield against legislation that would hurt the company's bottom line. U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood declared a mistrial after the jury at least twice reported they could not reach a verdict.
Wood had sent them back for more deliberations Thursday morning. Jurors had considered counts of bribery, use of an interstate facility to solicit bribery, and lying to federal agents, but found themselves unable to agree.
She polled them individually in the afternoon to hear about their progress before declaring the mistrial, with Jones listening on intently. The judge said she would send the jury home and instruct them not to return.
Jones, 46, the son of former Senate President Emil Jones Jr., was the first sitting member of the state General Assembly to have a jury trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse since then-state Rep. Derrick Smith was found guilty of bribery nearly a decade ago.
The jury of seven women and five men deliberated for about 24 hours over four days. It remained unclear whether Jones would be retried immediately on the counts, the most serious of which carries a potential prison term of up to 10 years.
The mistrial came nearly six years after FBI agents confronted Jones at his Roseland neighborhood home as part of a sweeping investigation into bribery schemes involving red-light cameras, liquor licenses and other graft across the west and southwest suburbs.
At the heart of the probe was Omar Maani, the co-founder of SafeSpeed LLC, who agreed to work undercover for federal investigators after being confronted with evidence he was paying off officials in Oak Lawn in exchange for political support to add SafeSpeed cameras at additional intersections.
Maani, who was granted a deferred prosecution agreement by the U.S. attorney's office for his extensive cooperation, was the star witness at Jones' trial, testifying for the first time in public about his prolific turn as an FBI mole. That cooperation also has netted the convictions of former Crestwood Mayor Louis Presta, ex-Oakbrook Terrace Mayor Anthony Ragucci, and Jeffrey Tobolski, the former mayor of McCook and Cook County commissioner.
According to the charges, Jones agreed to accept $5,000 in campaign funding from Maani in exchange for Jones agreeing not to file a bill calling for a statewide study of red-light cameras, which SafeSpeed considered potentially damaging to its bottom line.
Jones also offered to 'protect' the company from his friend, then-state Rep. David McSweeney, who had filed bills of his own calling for an all-out ban of red light cameras, according to prosecutors.
The charges allege Jones also asked Maani to give his former office intern a part-time job, which led to $1,800 being paid to the intern in exchange for no work.
At the heart of the case are a series of undercover videos made by Maani as he sat down at steakhouses in Oak Brook and Chicago with Jones as well as then-state Sen. Martin Sandoval, the powerful and corrupt head of the Senate Transportation Committee, who was taking cash payments from Maani in exchange for being SafeSpeed's protector in the General Assembly.
One video, from a meeting between Jones and Maani in July 2019 at Steak 48 on North Dearborn Street, showed Jones digging into his favorite Wagyu filet as Maani brought up Jones' upcoming fundraiser at Sox Park.
'How much money you want me to come up with?' Maani asked. 'You tell me a number.'
Jones initially demurred, telling Maani no one had ever asked him that before. But Maani explained he was different, that he always wanted to meet expectations.
'You're already meeting expectations, Omar,' Jones said, cutting into his steak while a hidden camera sat somewhere on the table across from him. 'You're a good guy. I like you all's company a lot.'
Then Jones dropped the number: 'If you can raise me five grand, that'd be good.'
'Done,' Maani replied quickly.
Maani repeatedly stressed that he needed to keep their relationship a secret and that any donations would have to be hidden so the source would not be publicly known. 'Especially in this day and age, keep it quiet. Is that cool?' he said.
'Yeah that's fine,' Jones replied.
'We're gonna know each other for a very long time, building our relationship and I will be there for you every time,' Maani said.
Maani testified earlier this month that Jones' request during that dinner to hire his former intern, Christopher Katz, caught him 'off guard a little bit.'
As part of an FBI ruse, Maani later told Jones that he actually didn't have a position for the intern but would pay him for 20 hours a week anyway.
'I just wanted to make sure that he's the type of kid that when he gets a check and he's not doing anything right away that he's not gonna be spooked by that,' Maani told Jones on a phone call that August. 'He's not gonna be weird and stuff, you know, he gets it.'
'Yeah, but make sure we find him some work,' Jones replied. When Maani asked again if Katz could be trusted, Jones replied, 'Oh yeah. Definite. Definite.'
During that same dinner, Maani also explained to Jones the $5,000 would be no problem to raise.
'The only thing with me … is I don't want it to look funky you know that our company is cutting you a check or I'm personally cutting you a check and then somebody asks some questions,' he said. 'So if there is a creative way you could do it, I'm up for any suggestion … We have reporting requirements and everything … It would be from me to you. I wouldn't include my company on this 'cause they're goofy, you know. Nikki and them.'
Jones then asked Maani, what can I do for you?
'So last time you had a study that encompassed the whole state,' Maani said. 'And then you amended it and then it just encompassed the city of Chicago. I would ask if you would do that.'
After Jones agreed, Maani reassured him: 'I'll take care of the intern. I'll take care of everything. but if you could just do that, that would be phenomenal.'
'I got you,' Jones replied. 'And I'll protect you all from McSweeney.'
Jones took the risky move to testify in his own defense, telling the jury that Maani reminded him of 'a used car salesman' and that he never asked him directly for any money, only possible support for a fundraiser.
Jones also had critical words for his now-deceased colleague, former state Sen. Martin Sandoval, describing the once-powerful head of the Senate Transportation Committee as 'kind of a bully.'
Jones also offered the jury an explanation for a series of late-night texts to Katz around the same time he was trying to get Maani to hire the then-23-year-old. In one, sent after 2 a.m. when Katz was at a strip club, Jones, who was 41 at the time, told Katz, 'I want to see U,' according to copies of the communications shown to the jury.
Jones testified he'd known Katz for years and they had a social relationship. 'We're friends, associates,' he said. 'Me and Chris share a passion for cooking. I love to cook.'
The day the texts were sent, Jones said, he and Katz had crossed paths at an all-day, Fourth of July weekend event known as the 'Chosen Few' picnic.
'It's dance music all day,' Jones said.
You can dance? Henderson asked.
Jones smiled slightly: 'I can do a little somethin'.'
In a wide-ranging cross-examination, Jones revealed more about his ultimately aborted cooperation with the feds, which began after he was confronted at his home by two FBI agents on Sept. 24, 2019, the day investigators executed as series of search warrants at Sandoval's offices and other locations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Ardam asked Jones about his claim that the feds showed him only 'snippets' of evidence in his meetings with agents that took things out of context. She noted that Jones knew better than anyone what was said at the dinners with Maani.
'You were at all of these meetings, weren't you?' Ardam said at one point. 'You know everything that was said.'
Jones replied he couldn't remember everything.
Ardam also confirmed with Jones that the government told him before they discussed anything that he had a right to remain silent and that if he was going to cooperate, he had to be honest.
And you told them you made a deal? Ardam asked again.
Jones took a deep breath and enunciated very slowly:
'No I did not.'
_____
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