City Inspector Sentenced to 21 Months for Bribery

By Prescott Carlson in News on Aug 28, 2010 3:00PM

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald isn't spending all his time going after former governor and convicted felon Rod Blagojevich, his office also currently has its sights set closer to home. Dubbed "Operation Crooked Code," the feds are conducting an on going investigation of corruption in the City of Chicago Departments of Building and Zoning, and have already netted over two dozen indictments and 17 convictions.

The latest to be sent up the river is Tom Ziroli, a former Ventilation Inspector with the department. Ziroli was sentenced to 21 months in prison on Friday, after which he'll have to serve two years of supervised release. Ziroli will also have to cough up a $15,000 fine, an additional $100 "special assessment," and will also have to return the $500 the government used to arrest him.

Ziroli was convicted for accepting a $500 bribe from a witness working with the FBI, with the intent of passing a ventilation inspection on a residential property in exchange for the cash. Amazingly, despite the conviction Ziroli was still on the city payroll until he submitted a letter of resignation before Friday's sentencing hearing.