An executive with LAZ Parking, the firm that manages Chicago’s privatized parking meters, has been fired after LAZ discovered he was under federal investigation over allegations he took kickbacks to steer a parking-meter contract to a favored company.
LAZ Parking said Saturday it conducted its own investigation after learning of the federal probe earlier this week.
“We built our company over the past 35 years based on our core values of respect, commitment to people, honesty, integrity and trust,” Alan Lazowski, LAZ’s chairman and chief executive said. “This is an isolated incident of one employee, and if these allegations are true, they are contrary to every core value that LAZ stands for.”
FBI agents filed an affidavit for a search warrant in February to search two email accounts tied to an executive of LAZ Parking who allegedly received $90,000 in bribes to steer the contract for parking meters, which produced gross revenues of $22 million and monthly service fees.
The Chicago Sun-Times isn’t naming the executive because he has not been charged.
Reached Tuesday, he said the allegations in the FBI affidavit were “news to me” and declined to comment further.
He did not respond to request for comment Saturday.