Crooked red-light camera vendor gets okay to be a Chicago vendor

Chicago's Northwest Side

The Chicago Tribune's John Kass is right. Crime does pay in Chicago.

From WGN-TV:

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration says a red-light camera company whose former chief executive pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge is once again eligible to pursue city contracts.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the update follows a four-year suspension for Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. The designation of Phoenix-based Redflex as a "responsible vendor" comes after the company recently agreed to pay $20 million to settle a lawsuit with the city.

Emanuel's chief procurement officer sent the company a letter dated Tuesday announcing that its suspension from city contracts is over, citing in part the company's acceptance of responsibility for wrongdoing.

Redflex was accused of fraud when it contracted in 2003 to run Chicago’s red-light camera enforcement program.

Yes, they were accused and more.

From CBS Chicago last year:

The company's cooperation included prosecution of former CEO Karen Finley, who was sentenced in November to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty in 2015 to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery. Former City Hall insider John Bills was sentenced to 10 years in prison earlier this year.

Bills helped Redflex cheat its way to $131 million in red-light camera contracts between 2002 and 2011, the Chicago Sun-Times has previously reported. In return, prosecutors say Bills took $680,000 in bribes. That included $560,000 in kickbacks passed to Bills by Martin O'Malley, the elderly, recovering alcoholic Finley agreed to hire in late 2003 though he seemed far from qualified, or even “computer savvy.” O’Malley was sentenced to six months in prison.

Bills helped Redflex cheat its way to $131 million in red-light camera contracts between 2002 and 2011, the Chicago Sun-Times has previously reported. In return, prosecutors say Bills took $680,000 in bribes. That included $560,000 in kickbacks passed to Bills by Martin O'Malley, the elderly, recovering alcoholic Finley agreed to hire in late 2003 though he seemed far from qualified, or even "computer savvy." O'Malley was sentenced to six months in prison.

Bills was a longtime member of Illinois Democratic Boss Michael Madigan's Chicago ward political organization.

As they say, Chicago isn't broken--it's fixed.