Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Red-light camera officials caught on FBI wire talking about giving perks to suburban mayor, unsealed document shows
Chicago Tribune ^ | Feb 17, 2023 | Jason Meisner and Joe Mahr

Posted on 02/18/2023 4:50:22 AM PST by Salman

A recently unsealed court document reveals for the first time that two top officials at a red-light camera company were caught on undercover FBI recordings talking about giving a suburban mayor campaign contributions and other perks at the same time their firm was pressuring the mayor to increase ticket revenue.

The 2018 FBI search warrant, which sought court approval to search an email account of then-Crestwood Mayor Louis Presta, was part of the broad, yearslong investigation into corruption surrounding red-light cameras operated by SafeSpeed LLC, a probe that has netted charges against more than half a dozen public officials, businessmen and political operatives.

Prosecutors have built much of their case on Omar Maani, one of SafeSpeed’s founders and biggest rainmakers, who turned informant in early 2018 and made undercover recordings and participated in FBI stings where he handed over envelopes of purported cash bribes to Presta and others on the take.

...

(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: Illinois
KEYWORDS: camera; chicago; louispresta; omarmaani; redlight; redlightcamera; redlightcameraa; safespeed
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-29 last
To: SamAdams76

Red light cameras are simply tools.

If the legal framework in which they are allowed to be used provides no incentive to misusing them, I’m fine with them.

And that would mean that the vendor is paid a flat rate, regardless of the number of citations issued, and that the government receives none of the fines.

Of course, that’s not the legal framework we’re operating in. Currently, the vendor installs the system at no charge, in exchange for a share of the revenues. And that guarantees abuse.

My guess would be that if governments were required to fund the systems up front, few would think it a reasonable deal. But such financing would be necessary, to prevent abuse.


21 posted on 02/18/2023 6:53:25 AM PST by jdege
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: SamAdams76

Manassas, Virginia has gone crazy installing red light cameras for “safety”...

...yet that city STILL has traffic signals with a “yellow trap”.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_trap


22 posted on 02/18/2023 6:57:16 AM PST by brianl703
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Salman

Arizonians put this crap up for a vote with a ballot referendum and ended up running these speed camera azhos and their cameras out of the state.


23 posted on 02/18/2023 7:03:54 AM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Remember what FJB Brandon said, "...more than half of the women in my administration are women.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

4 L8r bump


24 posted on 02/18/2023 7:12:43 AM PST by Tunehead54 (Nothing funny here ;-)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Husker24

Disagree all you want.


25 posted on 02/18/2023 8:07:47 AM PST by HYPOCRACY (This is the dystopian future we've been waiting for!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: HYPOCRACY

Indeed they are clueless about the boss.


26 posted on 02/18/2023 8:11:33 AM PST by Vaduz (LAWYERS )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: 38special

Good. I have somehow been spared them but they absolutely raise my anger level to top end.

If there ever was a reason for the people to fight back this issue (and identity theft) are it, in my opinion.

In a thread on FR a few years ago the lying local government somewhere (saying this is for “safety”) was caught in an exchange where the email from the red light camera company said “You should drop the plan for ——— intersection. There’s not enough traffic to make any money on it.”


27 posted on 02/18/2023 8:20:11 AM PST by frank ballenger (You have summoned up a thundercloud. You're gonna hear from me. Anthem by Leonard Cohen)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: 38special

“Texas Governor Gregg Abbott just signed legislation here in Texas banning red light cameras.”

they’re not banned in colorado, but legislators made the whole deal a purely civil matter with no criminal consequences ... as a result, it’s up to the jurisdictions to pursue collection via civil processes ...

just ignore the set of letters they send for the first few weeks and be aware that they MIGHT then spend the bucks to try to serve civil papers to appear in civil court and be prepared to dodge service ... i did that very thing, namely, dodged service when an off-duty, moonlighting deputy tried to serve me one early saturday morning ... wife came to the door and said go away ... service HAS to be in person, so that failed ... i figured they’d cut their loses and not want to pay again for another service attempt since they knew they were dealing with someone that knew the score ...

btw, other effective techniques if you travel in a camera city are to wear large dark glasses, a baseball cap pulled low, and/or even a mask ... if they can’t match the driver’s picture to a driver’s license associated with the auto registration, then they won’t even bother to mail the civil fine papers to start with, and if they do, just check the box “not me” ...


28 posted on 02/18/2023 9:12:56 AM PST by catnipman (In a post-covid world, ALL "science" is now political science: stolen elections have consequences)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: SamAdams76

“Insurance companies are in on this too as they will raise your rates as you accumulate more of these tickets.”

not in colorado ... cameras are civil matters only, and do not result in driver license points and are NOT reported to insurance companies ...


29 posted on 02/18/2023 9:14:34 AM PST by catnipman (In a post-covid world, ALL "science" is now political science: stolen elections have consequences)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-29 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson