The politically connected red-light camera company at the center of former state Sen. Martin Sandoval’s brazen bribery scheme has been hit along with Sandoval and several suburban officials with a federal racketeering lawsuit.
The lawsuit targets SafeSpeed LLC as well as Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski, his chief of staff Patrick Doherty, former Oakbrook Terrace Mayor Tony Ragucci, Alsip Mayor John Ryan and Summit Mayor Sergio Rodriguez.
Other defendants include Oakbrook Terrace, former Chicago Deputy Aviation Commissioner Bill Helm, former Justice police chief Robert Gedville, Worth Township Supervisor John O’Sullivan, former state Rep. Michael Carberry, Summit Police Chief John Kosmowski and Bill Mundy, head of public works in Summit.
Finally, the lawsuit names SafeSpeed co-founders Nikki Zollar and Chris Lai, as well as SafeSpeed stakeholders Omar Maani and Khalid “Cliff” Maani.
The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, was filed Sunday by Lawrence H. Gress, who received a SafeSpeed red-light ticket in Oakbrook Terrace in 2018.
The 47-page complaint lays out an alleged corruption scheme involving not only Sandoval — who pleaded guilty to corruption charges last week — but multiple public officials.
It also accuses Ragucci and Tobolski of taking bribes from SafeSpeed, and it says Rodriguez and Ryan were “corruptly induced to install SafeSpeed” cameras. The lawsuit cites no evidence to support those contentions.
Sandoval pleaded guilty Tuesday to accepting $70,000 in “protection money” from a SafeSpeed associate to block legislation that could be harmful to the company in the legislature. He also admitted he took a total of more than $250,000 “as part of criminal activity that included more than five participants.”
SafeSpeed has denied any wrongdoing.
This is a developing story.
