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SAWHORSE
Chicago building inspector charged with trying to extort building owner
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-building-inspector-bribery-met-20160405-story.html
wHen city building inspector Roberto Uribe met with a property owner about rehab on a building last November, his demands seemed ripped out of some old-school handbook of Chicago graft.
"What's happening now is you're gonna give me some appreciation ... and that appreciation is gonna be $300," Uribe allegedly said to the property owner, who was wearing a hidden wire for the FBI. "Now how quickly can you get me my money to keep my mouth shut?"
That line was one of several quoted in a federal criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday charging Uribe with attempted extortion for allegedly soliciting the $300 bribe in exchange for allowing tuck-pointing work on the owner's two-story building to proceed without a permit.
Uribe, 55, was arrested Tuesday morning and later released on his own recognizance after appearing in federal court.
Uribe is employed as a building and construction inspector for the city's Department of Buildings, according to the complaint. City records show Uribe's salary is $78,000 a year.
A statement from the department Tuesday said the city requires inspectors to attend ethics training, "where the consequences for breaking the law are made very clear, including termination of employment."
"We have zero tolerance for inspectors that choose to betray the public trust," the emailed statement read.
The statement did not address Uribe's current job status.
The charges alleged Uribe initially approached workers performing renovations at the building and asked if they had a permit to work on the front window facade and parapet. The undisclosed building owner then met with Uribe and was allegedly solicited for a bribe.
The owner went to the FBI and agreed to wear a hidden recorder, authorities said.
In a recorded conversation last Nov. 9, Uribe allegedly boasted of his ability to shut down the renovation work unless the owner paid him the bribe. Uribe allegedly told the owner that the bribe would save both of them time and money.
"What's going to happen is, if we put a stop on it, it's going to stop you for six months, seven months," Uribe told the building owner, according to the complaint. If work were halted, he warned the owner he'd have to hire an architect and draft new plans that could cost as much as $3,500, the charges said.
"I'm looking out for you, we're looking out for each other," Uribe allegedly said. "But you're doing me a favor by hurrying up and getting this closed off. Because the sooner this gets done, the better."
After the owner told Uribe he'd get him the money the next day, Uribe said that if another inspector asked about the work, their "story" would be that they were only tuck-pointing the original parapet again and that no special permit was needed, according to the complaint.
On Nov. 12, FBI agents were watching as Uribe pulled up to the building in a dark blue Ford Escape. The recording revealed that during the meeting, Uribe told the building owner that if anyone asked, the $300 bribe was for the purchase of a table saw.
"You want to count it?" the complaint quoted the owner as asking.
"No, this is a merit of trust," Uribe allegedly replied.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-building-inspector-bribery-met-20160405-story.html
wHen city building inspector Roberto Uribe met with a property owner about rehab on a building last November, his demands seemed ripped out of some old-school handbook of Chicago graft.
"What's happening now is you're gonna give me some appreciation ... and that appreciation is gonna be $300," Uribe allegedly said to the property owner, who was wearing a hidden wire for the FBI. "Now how quickly can you get me my money to keep my mouth shut?"
That line was one of several quoted in a federal criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday charging Uribe with attempted extortion for allegedly soliciting the $300 bribe in exchange for allowing tuck-pointing work on the owner's two-story building to proceed without a permit.
Uribe, 55, was arrested Tuesday morning and later released on his own recognizance after appearing in federal court.
Uribe is employed as a building and construction inspector for the city's Department of Buildings, according to the complaint. City records show Uribe's salary is $78,000 a year.
A statement from the department Tuesday said the city requires inspectors to attend ethics training, "where the consequences for breaking the law are made very clear, including termination of employment."
"We have zero tolerance for inspectors that choose to betray the public trust," the emailed statement read.
The statement did not address Uribe's current job status.
The charges alleged Uribe initially approached workers performing renovations at the building and asked if they had a permit to work on the front window facade and parapet. The undisclosed building owner then met with Uribe and was allegedly solicited for a bribe.
The owner went to the FBI and agreed to wear a hidden recorder, authorities said.
In a recorded conversation last Nov. 9, Uribe allegedly boasted of his ability to shut down the renovation work unless the owner paid him the bribe. Uribe allegedly told the owner that the bribe would save both of them time and money.
"What's going to happen is, if we put a stop on it, it's going to stop you for six months, seven months," Uribe told the building owner, according to the complaint. If work were halted, he warned the owner he'd have to hire an architect and draft new plans that could cost as much as $3,500, the charges said.
"I'm looking out for you, we're looking out for each other," Uribe allegedly said. "But you're doing me a favor by hurrying up and getting this closed off. Because the sooner this gets done, the better."
After the owner told Uribe he'd get him the money the next day, Uribe said that if another inspector asked about the work, their "story" would be that they were only tuck-pointing the original parapet again and that no special permit was needed, according to the complaint.
On Nov. 12, FBI agents were watching as Uribe pulled up to the building in a dark blue Ford Escape. The recording revealed that during the meeting, Uribe told the building owner that if anyone asked, the $300 bribe was for the purchase of a table saw.
"You want to count it?" the complaint quoted the owner as asking.
"No, this is a merit of trust," Uribe allegedly replied.
