Sen. Emil Jones III Pleads Not Guilty In Red-Light Camera Scandal

CHICAGO — State Sen. Emil Jones III (14th District) the latest politician to be ensnared in the growing probe of the politically connected red-light camera company SafeSpeed LLC, pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery and lying to the FBI.

Jones, 44, was hit with federal charges last week. Jones appeared Friday by phone for an arraignment hearing before U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood. His attorneys, Reggie Harris and Zeke Katz, said in a statement that Jones “maintains his innocence.”

“The senator respectfully asks the public not to rush to judgment. Ours is a legal system founded upon the principle that persons accused of crimes are innocent unless and until proven guilty by competent evidence and beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The Far South Side Democrat has since resigned from his leadership position as chair of the powerful Senate Licensed Activities Committee. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has also called for Jones to resign.

Jones is accused of killing a senate bill introduced in February 2019 that would have enabled a statewide study by the Illinois Department of Transportation into the effectiveness of red-light cameras, such as those operated by SafeSpeed LLC, in dozes of Chicago suburbs. The company is said to have generated millions of dollars in fines from motorists.

The complaint states that in July 2019, Jones told “Individual A,” later identified as former SafeSpeed executive Omar Maani, that he would “protect” the red-light camera company in exchange for $5,000 in benefits and a job for an unnamed associate – “Individual B” – in exchange for opposing the senate bill.

In August 2019 Jones told Maani he could contribute $5,000 to sponsor an event and not have to report it as a campaign contribution, the complaint said. A few days after their exchange, the feds allege that Jones and Maani discussed how much money Maani would pay Individual B. Unbeknownst to Jones, Maani was secretly cooperating with federal agents.

On Sept. 24, 2019, federal agents raided the offices of Sen. Martin Sandoval, who at the time was the head of the state Senate’s Transportation Committee. Around that same time, the FBI and IRS launched an investigation against Jones. Sandoval pleaded guilty to bribery and tax charges in January 2020. Sandoval later died that year of complications from COVID-19.

According to the complaint, when Jones was asked if he agreed to protect SafeSpeed and Maani from legislation in the Illinois General Assembly concerning red-light cameras, Jones said he did not. Federal investigators further alleged that Jones denied discussing with Maani how to contribute money to his campaign without reporting it to state campaign records, and how much money Maani agreed to pay Individual B.

Jones has served in the state senate since 2009, and is the son of former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr. The younger Jones is a member of the same Transportation Committee as the late Sandoval. Jones III is running unopposed in the Nov. 8 election for the 14th District Senate seat.

Calling the allegations “grave,” Senate President Don Harmon, of Oak Park, said in a statement to the Chicago Tribune that he has asked for, and expects, Jones’ resignation from his leadership post and committee.

Jones was charged in “information” rather than an indictment, which typically signals a defendant’s intention to plead guilty. More than a dozen politicians, political operatives and businessmen acting as consultants have been charged or convicted working with Maani.

Crestwood Mayer, Lou Presta, was sentenced to a year in a federal prison in April, after he was caught on an FBI video taking a $5,000 bribe from Maani. Presta is currently serving his sentence at a federal prison medical center in Lexington, KY, with a release date of April 28, 2023.

The investigation also lead to the convictions of former state lawmaker and Worth Township Supervisor John O’Sullivan and political operative Pat Doherty. Both admitted to plotting to pay a relative of an unnamed Oak Lawn trustee $4,000 in the summer of 2017, hoping to persuade the trustee into voting to allow more red-light cameras to be installed in the village.

The company has not been charged with any wrongdoing, and said in a statement that it remains “shocked and saddened” by the latest developments and “has long since terminated all contact with its former colleague and his associates.”

“SafeSpeed remains committed to continuing to assist Illinois municipalities in improving traffic safety. SafeSpeed fully supports the federal government’s investigation into public corruption and will continue to aid their efforts in any way it can.”