CHICAGO–(ENEWSPF)–April 20, 2011. A South Suburban building inspector has been charged for accepting cash bribes to influence the outcome of building code violations at two Riverdale apartment buildings, according to the Office of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.
Roy McKinney, 57, a resident of Riverdale, is accused of accepting the bribes when he worked as a Building Inspector and Director of Zoning and Code Enforcement for the Village of Riverdale in 2008. McKinney currently works as a building inspector for the Village of Lynwood. McKinney has been charged with two counts of Bribery and two counts of Official Misconduct in connection with two incidents in which he accepted a total of $500 in cash bribes.
The state charges are the result of a joint investigation by the State’s Attorney’s Public Corruption and Financial Crimes Unit in cooperation with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to prosecutors, in 2008 authorities were alerted to possible corruption by McKinney through a witness whose apartment buildings in Riverdale had received several code violations. In two meetings in April and May of 2008, McKinney accepted cash bribes totaling $500 from the building owner. In return he promised to influence the outcome of the citations the witness had received.
Investigators used audio and video surveillance of meetings to record McKinney accepting the bribes.
McKinney was taken in to custody Tuesday and he appeared in bond court today at the 6th District Cook County Court Building in Markham where Judge Darron Bowden released him on a $20,000 I bond. The next court date in the case is set for May 5.
The public is reminded that charging documents contain allegations that are not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial at which the state has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: statesattorney.org
