Lockport Man, Suburban Police Chief Faces Bribery Charge: Feds

LOCKPORT, IL — A 54-year-old Lockport man and police chief of a suburban department has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly accepting money from a local businessman and scheming to mischaracterize the money as a loan, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Summit Police Chief John Kosmowski faces one count of bribery and one count of obstruction of justice after he was indicted earlier this week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Prosecutors allege that Kosmowski accepted more than $5,000 from the businessman who intended to transfer a liquor license to another person, U.S. Attorney John Lausch said.

Court documents show that Kosmowski allegedly conspired with a Summit building inspector to accept the money from the local businessman, who has been identified as William Mundy, 59. Mundy, who lives in Summit, is charged with one count of bribery conspiracy and one count of filing a false tax return, prosecutors announced.

Arraignments for the two men have not yet been scheduled.

The two men accepted the money intending to be influenced and rewarded in connection with the transfer of a liquor license to another person, court records show. Prosecutors said that Kosmowski allegedly received a cash payment from the businessman on March 23, 2017, and then gave the building inspector a portion of it.

Court records show that Kosmowski met with the building inspector earlier this year and informed him of the federal investigation into the payment, prosecutors said this week. During the meeting, Kosmowski reportedly sought to corruptly persuade the building inspector to mischaracterize the purpose of the payment from Kosmowski to the inspector by falsely suggesting that it was a loan, court records show.

If convicted, the federal court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.