Former Ald. Carrie Austin deemed medically unfit for bribery trial, court documents say
Former 34th Ward Alderwoman Carrie Austin is unfit to stand trial in her federal bribery case, a court-appointed doctor found.
According to court documents, a pulmonologist at Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute issued a report on Feb. 7 that concluded that Austin "is not medically fit to stand trial based on available information based on her current disability."
The report also mentions that Austin will require multiple oxygen tanks a day during the trial scheduled for Nov. 3.
"She is not likely to tolerate crossing town daily for both courtroom activities and daily review sessions with her lawyer[s]," court documents say.
Federal prosecutors are seeking a formal evidentiary hearing to "gather additional facts" so U.S. District Judge John Kness can make an informed decision on whether to proceed with Austin's trial, according to the court filing, but defense attorneys argued a hearing is not necessary to call off her trial.
Austin defense attorney Tom Durkin said the medical expert's report "confirmed what we've said all along, and we expect she'll be found unfit to stand trial."
Austin, 75, was indicted in 2021 on federal bribery charges, accusing her and her chief of staff, Chester Wilson Jr., of taking bribes from a construction company seeking her support for a development in her ward. Both pleaded not guilty to the accusations.
Her attorneys had called for the judge to declare her unfit to stand trial, citing various chronic health problems. In December 2021, then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot called for a "medical emergency" after Austin collapsed during a city council meeting—prompting staffers to call for an ambulance. However, she was back in City Hall in a little over a month.
Austin is the second longest-serving member of the City Council, having represented the 34th Ward on the Far South Side since 1994 when she took over for her late husband, Lemuel Austin, who died of a heart attack.
She resigned from the City Council in March 2023.