Former Ald. Danny Solis, who helped feds in cases against Burke and Madigan, charged with bribery
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Former Ald. Danny Solis is facing federal bribery charges, three years after it was revealed he wore a wire to help the feds in their cases against Ald. Ed Burke and former House Speaker Michael Madigan.
According to the one-page filing against Solis on Friday, federal prosecutors said, between July and September of 2015, Solis illegally sought campaign contributions from a real estate developer seeking zoning amendments.
At the time, Solis was chair of the City Council Zoning Committee.
Solis Information by Todd Feurer on Scribd
In late 2018, Solis announced he would not be running for re-election, just months before published reports revealed he'd been wearing a wire for the FBI in a probe that resulted in corruption charges against Burke.
He resigned as Zoning Committee chairman in January 2019 after the Sun-Times first revealed his cooperation with federal investigators.
According to a federal search warrant affidavit obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, Solis used his City Council position to further the interests of contributors who supplied him with money, viagra and even sex acts in return.
The feds listened in to more than 18,000 hours of Solis' conversations in one year and on three occasions watched him come and go from massage parlors – visits allegedly paid for by a political fixer seeking favors.
In court filings, federal prosecutors have revealed Solis' involvement in the case against Burke, who allegedly tried to get the managers and developers of the Old Main Post Office to hire his law firm in exchange for help with city issues and permits.
According to court filings, Solis was an intermediary in the alleged bribery, identified in the documents as "Alderman A." In the court documents, prosecutors stated, "Alderman A was alderman of the 25th Ward in Chicago," adding Solis began cooperating with the feds in August 2016.
Burke has pleaded not guilty, and is still awaiting trial.
Solis also wore a wire to record conversations with former Madigan, who was indicted on racketeering charges last month, based in part on those wiretap recordings.
The indictment also claims that in 2018, that Madigan agreed to accept business steered by Solis to his private law firm, and in exchange, agreed to advise then-Gov. Bruce Rauner to appoint Solis to a state board. Solis was Chairman of the City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks & Building Standards at the time, and was working as an informant at the direction of law enforcement - which Madigan and McClain did not know at the time, prosecutors said.
The indictment reveals that Solis helped in the investigation. Solis, referenced in the indictment as "Alderman A," recorded several conversations with Madigan regarding a parcel of land owned by the State of Illinois in the Chinatown community - which was used as a parking lot.
In July 2017, Madigan and Solis discussed the transfer for the parcel from the state to the City of Chicago, so it could be transferred in turn for possible development, the indictment said.
The indictment said Solis told Madigan that if Madigan could take care of the Chinatown land transfer, the developer would "appreciate it" and would give Madigan tax work for his private law firm, the indictment said.
Solis himself was being watched by the feds at the same time he was cooperating, as it was revealed that contributors supplied him with money, Viagra, and sex acts in a separate case.
No one has heard from or seen Solis since he cooperated with federal agents. He is now a key witness against Madigan, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
