'Lou Can Do' Presta Indicted In Red-Light Camera Bribery Probe

CRESTWOOD, IL — After months of speculation and whispers of corruption amid a growing federal probe into red-light camera ticketing probe, Crestwood Mayor Lou Presta has been indicted by a federal grand jury for using an interstate facility in aid of bribery, and lying to federal law enforcement about his request and receipt of benefits from a representative of a red-light camera company that provided services to the southwest suburb.

The feds allege that the “Lou Can Do” mayor accepted bribes to promote red-light cameras in the village of Crestwood, where he has served as mayor since 2013. The 69-year-old mayor is charged with three counts of using a facility in interstate commerce in aid of bribery and official misconduct, two counts of willfully filing a false income tax return, one count of willfully failing to file an income tax return, and one count of making false statements to the FBI and IRS.

Presta denied the allegations in a written statement from his Chicago attorneys Tom Breen and Todd Pugh.

"With regret, we have been notified of the indictment of Louis Presta. As has been
indicated, Mr. Presta is presumed innocent of these charges.

It is important to note that Mr. Presta denies the charges contained in the indictment.
As the future trial of this case will show, Mr. Presta never violated the trust the people of
Crestwood placed in him. We anticipate that the evidence will show that Mr. Presta
never did what his campaign contributor asked him to do.

Mr. Presta remained committed to the people who had elected him Mayor of Crestwood."

The indictment was returned Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Arraignment has not yet been scheduled. According to the complaint, Presta was caught in a March 2018 recording accepting an envelope of $5,000 from a representative from SafeSpeed LLC, the red-light camera firm that provided services to issued tickets to motorists for certain traffic violations.

When the FBI and IRS confronted Presta in September 2019 with a recording of himself accepting the envelope on March 7, 2018 meeting, Presta is alleged to have lied to the feds that there was nothing in the envelope. According to the indictment. Presta also denied receiving gifts, cash or campaign contributions from the red-light company.

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, Presta amended his 2018 campaign disclosure statement on Friday. Illinois State Board of Election records note that Presta receiving an in-kind campaign donation for $5,000 on March 13, 2018 from Omar Maani, an executive with SafeSpeed Inc., for “election day workers and expenses.” At the time, Presta was running in the Democratic primary for 6th District Cook County Commissioner, which he lost.

Maani’s ownership interest in SafeSpeed was terminated this past February “for his alleged involvement in criminal activity.” The red-light camera company claimed it had no knowledge of Maani’s alleged payment of $70,000 in government funds to Illinois Sen. Martin Sandoval, who pleaded guilty to assorted federal corruption charges in exchange for his cooperation in the widening federal corruption probe.

Presta is also accused of “willfully” filing a false income tax returns for the calendar years of 2015 and 2018, and for failing to file an income tax return for the calendar year of 2014.

If convicted, Presta faces up to five years in prison on the bribery and false statement counts. Filing a false tax return carries sentence of up to three years, while failing to file a tax return carries a maximum sentence of one year.