Illinois Sen. Emil Jones III Enters Deferred Prosecution, Halting Retrial in Bribery Case

Overview

• U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood found the deal was made in good faith and invited an amended agreement to be filed within 14 days.
• Terms require a $6,800 payment, specified admissions about meetings with Omar Maani and prior false statements to the FBI, plus staying out of legal trouble.
• The arrangement cancels a retrial that had been set for January 12, after the first jury in April failed to reach a unanimous verdict.
• Prosecutors allege Jones sought $5,000 and a job for a former intern in exchange for legislative protection for a red‑light camera firm, with the intern later paid $1,800 despite no work.
• Maani, a SafeSpeed co‑founder who cooperated with the FBI under his own deferred prosecution, provided recordings central to the case as part of a wider corruption probe that has also relied on similar resolutions, including with ex‑AT&T Illinois executive Paul La Schiazza.