Tyler LaRiviere / Sun-Times file
A former Cook County official who also acted as a consultant to a red-light camera company indicated in court Wednesday he plans to plead guilty to bribery and other pay-to-play charges.
Patrick Doherty was a paid consultant for the politically connected red-light camera company SafeSpeed LLC. He also was chief of staff to former county Commissioner Jeff Tobolski, who has pleaded guilty to corruption charges.
“We’ve had discussions with the defense who has requested a plea agreement,” federal prosecutor Christopher Stetler said Wednesday during a virtual court hearing.
Doherty’s attorney also confirmed her client would like to change his plea to guilty.
Once high-ranking Cook County official signals he intends to plead guilty
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Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times file
Federal prosecutors made good Thursday on their promise to file additional charges against Patrick Doherty, accusing the once high-ranking Cook County official of schemes involving former county Commissioner Jeff Tobolski and the late state Sen. Martin Sandoval.
They originally hit Doherty in February 2020 with three bribery charges in a seven-page indictment that revolved not around Doherty’s work for the county but as a paid consultant for the politically connected red-light camera company SafeSpeed LLC.
That indictment accused him of conspiring to pay off a relative of an Oak Lawn trustee to support the installation of red-light cameras at additional intersections there. The feds have since charged two others allegedly involved in that scheme, onetime SafeSpeed partner Omar Maani and former Worth Township Supervisor John O’Sullivan.