Illinois Rep. Derrick Smith convicted of bribery


In a weeklong trial, prosecutors played secret recordings of the 50-year-old Chicago Democrat accepting 70 $100 bills in exchange for a letter supporting the $50,000 state grant — though it was all part of an FBI sting.





Jurors found Smith guilty on all charges — one count of bribery and one of attempted extortion. Combined, the convictions carry a maximum 30-year prison sentence.

At trial, the defense attacked the credibility of the informant, who was only referred to by his first name, Pete, in court. They described him as a deadbeat and convicted felon who "set up" Smith for $1,000-a-week payments from the FBI.

"He's a hustler," defense attorney Victor Henderson told jurors during closing arguments Monday. "He hustled the representative and he hustled the FBI."


"He wasn't going to commit a crime," Henderson said, pointing to Smith. "That was something they fabricated."

But prosecutor Marsh McClellan said in her closing that the recordings and other evidence demonstrated that no one led Smith astray against his will.




The prosecutor said that Smith's easy, confident tone on the recordings illustrated he didn't think he'd ever get caught.
