CHICAGO — City of Chicago Alderman WILLIE B. COCHRAN pleaded
guilty today to a federal fraud charge for pocketing money from a charitable
fund intended to help families and children in his South Side ward.
Cochran, 66, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to one count of wire
fraud. The conviction is punishable by
up to 20 years in prison. U.S. District
Judge Jorge L. Alonso set sentencing for June 20, 2019, at 2:00 p.m.
The guilty plea was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United
States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Jeffrey S. Sallet,
Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation. The FBI initiated the
investigation after receiving information from the former City of Chicago
Legislative Inspector General’s Office, which was headed at that time by Faisal
Khan. The government is represented by
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather McShain and Christopher Stetler.
While representing the 20th Ward in the Chicago City
Council, Cochran operated the “20th Ward Activities Fund,” which he purported
to use for charitable endeavors to help families and children living in the
ward. Cochran controlled a bank account
connected to the fund. When soliciting
donations to the fund, Cochran falsely represented that all contributions would
be used for charitable events, including a back-to-school picnic, a Valentine’s
Day party for senior citizens, and events during the holiday season in November
and December.
Cochran admitted in a plea agreement that he used some of
the contribution money for his own personal use, including paying his
daughter’s college tuition, withdrawing cash at casino ATM’s, and purchasing
items for his home. From January 2010 to
April 2014, Cochran pocketed approximately $14,285 from the fund and converted
the money to his own personal use, the plea agreement states.
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