Sneed exclusive . . .
The X factor!
Sneed has learned Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) has become a hero in the type of scandal that has sent at least 18 Chicago aldermen to jail since 1973.
The bribery scandal.
In recently filed court documents, Wasfi Mansour, 42, a Northwest Indiana man, was charged with attempting to bribe a Chicago alderman identified only as “Alderman X.”
That is, until Sneed found out Monday that the alderman was Beale.
According to court documents obtained by Sneed, Mansour allegedly contacted Beale’s aldermanic office in September of 2012 seeking to have $42,000 in business fines dismissed in exchange for a campaign contribution. Beale told police, who in turn told the State’s Attorney’s Office.
◆ Buckshot: An undercover officer posing as an aide to the alderman met with Mansour on several occasions, but the deal fell through. It wasn’t long before Mansour reached out again, this time about lifting a liquor license moratorium. Mansour was recorded offering $5,000 and $10,000 bribes for liquor license and zoning favors, according to court documents.
On Monday, Beale confirmed with Sneed that he was the alderman who did the right thing.
“Historically, bribery tends to be the honey which has lured many alderman into jail cells,” said a Sneed source. “It turns out Ald. Beale became an unlikely hero because he immediately reported the bribery attempt to authorities and an undercover investigation began,” the source added.
