CITY CLERK LASKI AND POLITICAL AIDE INDICTED ALONG WITH THREE NEW DEFENDANTS IN PROBE OF CITY'S HIRED TRUCK PROGRAM

CHICAGO — Five current or former Chicago or Cook County employees — including City Clerk James J. Laski and his political aide, Sam Gammicchia, and three new defendants — were indicted today on federal corruption charges in the government's ongoing investigation of the city's Hired Truck Program. The eight-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury replaces the charges that were brought initially against Laski and Gammicchia alone in criminal complaints that were unsealed two weeks ago, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

Also charged in today's indictment were: John Briatta, former chief equipment dispatcher in the Department of Water Management's distribution division at the Jardine Filtration Plant; Randy Aderman, former water distribution division projects administrator; and Michael Jones, an employee of the City Clerk's Office who also participated in the operation of Get Plowed, Inc., which participated in the Hired Truck program (HTP) from 1998 through 2003.

The indictment alleges that Jones paid cash bribes to Laski; that Jones and Aderman paid cash bribes to Briatta; and that Laski and Briatta accepted the bribes to influence the awarding HTP business to Get Plowed. Laski and Gammicchia also allegedly obstructed justice by seeking to influence a witness to testify falsely and mislead a federal grand jury.

Laski, 52, was charged with three counts of bribery and one count of obstruction of justice; Gammicchia, 62, also known as Salvatore Gammicchia, who was a Cook County employee and Laski campaign coordinator, was charged with two counts of obstruction of justice; and Briatta, 46, Aderman, 50, and Jones, 48, were each charged with one count of bribery. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of $50,000 from Laski and $8,000 from Briatta, representing alleged proceeds of the bribes related to Get Plowed. All five defendants are Chicago residents and will be arraigned at a later date in U.S. District Court.

Mr. Fitzgerald announced the charges with Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; James Vanderberg, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General in Chicago; and Kenneth T. Laag, Inspector-in-Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago. The investigation is continuing, they said.

So far, 42 defendants, including approximately two dozen city employees, have been charged in connection with the HTP investigation since January 2004.

The three bribery counts against Laski allege that in 2001, 2002 and 2003, he solicited and accepted cash payments from Jones, intending to be influenced and rewarded in connection with HTP business. In each of those years, Get Plowed received more than $100,000 in revenue from HTP business, according to the indictment.

The criminal complaint that was unsealed on Jan. 13 alleged that Laski received $1,000 a month from 2001 through 2003 from the operators of “Trucking Company 1.”

Between Sept. 13, and Oct. 22, 2005, Laski and Gammicchia allegedly corruptly endeavored to obstruct justice by influencing Individual A to mislead a grand jury, which was investigating cash payments made to Laski by Jones and Individual A. Laski and Gammicchia allegedly directed and advised Individual A to falsely testify that Individual A did not recall making cash payments and did not know the purpose of cash payments to Laski, and that the payments to Laski were political contributions.

Gammicchia alone was charged with obstruction for allegedly intimidating Jones on Oct. 22, 2005, to prevent him from communicating information to law enforcement.

Briatta was charged with bribery for allegedly soliciting and accepting cash payments from Aderman and Jones in 2003, and Aderman was charged with bribery for allegedly paying cash to Briatta to influence the awarding HTP business to Get Plowed. The bribery count against Jones alleges that he paid cash bribes to Laski, Aderman and Briatta to influence the awarding of HTP business to Get Plowed.

The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Manish Shah, Patrick Collins, Patrick McGovern, Julie Ruder and Barry Miller.

If convicted, bribery and obstruction of justice carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. The Court, however, would determine the appropriate sentence to be imposed.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.