City Hall Clerk Takes Bribes

By Amy Hart in News on May 4, 2006 2:35PM

Dorothy Durham, an appointment clerk in Chicago's Department of Construction and Permits, has been busted by the feds for taking bribes to speed up the permit process for construction projects. It usually takes up to two months for contractors to receive an appointment with a project manager regarding permits, but for as little as $200, Durham would get people appointments sooner, thus speeding up the construction process.

An FBI informant recorded Durham saying the best way to get the money to her was to buy a bottle of water, put the money in the bag with the water, and then bring it to her.

Now, we don't pretend to be experts in bribery (although one time in fifth grade we did let the cute boy next to us sneak a peek at our spelling test in exchange for a kiss... which might make us experts in something else), but doesn't this seem like an overly complicated way to get the money? Why the bottle of water? Was she just thirsty? Did she need a particular brand of water? If somebody just put $200 in a bag without water, would she not accept it? And doesn't $200 seem a little cheap for the bribery game? It just doesn't seem worth the risk to us.