The Cook County Board of Review hired a high-profile Chicago law firm last year through a contract worth up to $110,000 to look into alleged bribery in the county office — but it’s unclear if the public will get to see the results of the firm’s work.
The investigative services contract between the Board of Review and Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP was signed in early September, two months after the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the FBI had been investigating a Board of Review employee.
That employee allegedly used his position to have property assessments lowered in exchange for thousands of dollars in cash bribes. Assessments are a key factor in calculating property tax bills. The employee allegedly said the money would be split with others in the office and insisted “I’m just the middle guy.”
Those allegations appeared in a 45-page FBI affidavit obtained by the Sun-Times while it was publicly available on the U.S. District Court docket last summer. It has since been placed under seal. No related criminal charges appear to have been filed in the months since, and the Sun-Times is not naming the employee because he has not been criminally charged.
A source with knowledge of the federal investigation said it is ongoing. The employee has not responded to messages seeking comment.
The contract between the Board of Review and Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila, obtained by the Sun-Times through the Freedom of Information Act, shows that the deal took effect Sept. 8 and...
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