Dateline Chicago — The man who formerly was second-in-command of Chicago’s Dept. of Transportation was sentenced this morning to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $2 million in restitution for his role in the city’s red light camera scandal.
In January, a jury found 55-year-old John Bills guilty of accepting up to $2 million in cash and gifts to steer contracts to Redflex, which became the city’s red light camera vendor in 2003.
During the trial, prosecutors said Mr. Bills received hotel rooms, golf trips, a condo in Arizona, an apartment on the South Side, a Mercedes and $600,000 in exchange for steering contracts to Redflex.
Mr. Bills’s attorney argued he took the fall for others. But the jury found him guilty on all 20 counts of mail fraud, conspiracy, bribery and falsifying tax returns. He faced a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
Mr. Bills served as deputy transportation commissioner during the Daley administration and retired in 2011. Mayor Rahm Emanuel fired Redflex as the city’s red light camera operator after the allegations first surfaced in 2012.
At his sentencing, Mr. Bills said he accepted responsibility for his “unethical actions and poor decisions.”
The judge will allow Mr. Bills to have Thanksgiving with his family. He was ordered to surrender on Nov. 28.
Mr. Bills flagrantly violated the public trust and richly deserves the sentence.
Red light cameras are a dirty industry with far too many temptations and opportunities for fraud, bribery and extortion. Note that Redflex is the most scandal ridden of the camera companies. There are now five guilty pleas or verdicts in federal cases about Redflex for fraud, bribery or extortion. NO ONE should deal with Redflex for anything. If they were an honorable company, Redflex would voluntarily withdraw from the US market with profuse apologies for their cases of wrongdoing.
James C. Walker, National Motorists Association