Chicago the US Corruption Capital

Study shows more convictions there than any other federal jurisdiction
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 16, 2012 2:35 PM CST
Chicago the US Corruption Capital
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich greets supporters outside his home after returning from his sentencing hearing December 7, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois.   (Getty Images)

Chicago really is the cesspit of corruption you think it is, according to a new study from the University of Illinois. It found that the Windy City and its environs had had more corruption convictions than any other federal jurisdiction in the last 36 years, with 1,531. Illinois had 1,828 overall, the third most of any state.

"The two worst crime zones in Illinois are the Governor's Mansion in Springfield and the City Council Chambers in Chicago," lead author Dick Simpson tells the Chicago Tribune. Simpson was to present his findings and a series of recommendations at the first public hearing of Rahm Emanuel's ethics task force. "The city's ethics training is a joke," Simpson said in a City Hall press conference. "We need real ethics training, because people in this building don't seem to have it." (More Chicago stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X