A new federal indictment Wednesday accused political operative Roberto Caldero of fraud and bribery in allegations revolving around the awarding of a Chicago Public Schools custodial contract, renaming a street and park — and former Chicago Ald. Danny Solis.
The 20-page indictment alleges Caldero, 68, bribed public officials in exchange for official actions, including with champagne and admission to an annual museum benefit.
The case also appears related to former CPS official Pedro Soto, who pleaded guilty in 2020 to lying to the FBI.
Caldero is charged with four counts of honest services wire fraud, two counts of federal program bribery and two counts of facilitating bribery. Reached Wednesday, he told the Chicago Sun-Times he was unaware of the indictment.
Caldero’s name first came to the light when the Sun-Times first reported about the ongoing federal investigation of Solis. As he tried to curry favor with the alderman, Caldero allegedly provided Viagra to Solis and they visited massage parlors together.
This is a developing story.
