Former Alderman Ambrosio Medrano Convicted In Bribery Scheme
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jun 17, 2013 9:00PM
Ambrosio Medrano
The three were indicted last year in a 2011 scheme where they conspired to offer a California man $10,000 in exchange for a contract for a mail-order prescription drug business in California. Medrano was also accused of offering a bribe to an undercover informant who was working in his organization as a staff member.
Throughout the trial, Medrano’s attorney John DeLeon argued Medrano, Barta and Buenrostro were set up by the government. He called Buenrostro "Gullible Gus" and Medrano "Anxious Ambrose” and argued the three were so hard up for money they continued to work on the scheme with the informant even though they knew the probability was high they were being set up. (Now that’s a ballsy argument.)
Prosecutors argued that not only were the three looking to cook up a scheme and willing to bribe someone for a contract, Medrano eagerly led the charge.
The conviction comes 17 years after Medrano was found guilty of accepting bribes while he was alderman during Operation Silver Shovel. He served 2-1/2 years in prison for accepting $31,000 in bribes back then.
Medrano was indicted the same time as former Cook County Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno. Moreno is charged with accepting a $5,000 bribe in exchange of ensuring the development of a waste transfer station in Cicero. He was on the suburban town’s economic development board at the time. Both Moreno and Medrano allegedly accepted bribes from Michael DiFoggio, a politically connected Bridgeport plumber and home developer. (Is there any other kind?)