John 'Johnny O' O'Sullivan Gets 18 Months Probation In Scheme To Bribe An Oak Lawn Trustee

OAK LAWN, IL — A federal judge sentenced former Worth Township Supervisor John O’Sullivan after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe an Oak Lawn village trustee while working as a consultant for Illinois’ then-largest red-light camera vendor.

O’Sullivan, 57, appeared Wednesday before Judge LaShonda Hunt at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, where he was sentenced to 18 months probation – the recommended sentence by both federal prosecutors and O’Sullivan’s defense attorney, Dan Collins.

In May 2017, O’Sullivan was a sales consultant for SafeSpeed LLC, a company that placed red-light cameras in over 30 municipalities in Illinois. O’Sullivan received a portion of the company’s share of revenue generated from red-light camera tickets, while the remainder went to the municipalities.

SafeSpeed has been involved in a federal investigation that has resulted in charges and convictions against multiple Illinois politicians. A company representative has denied having no knowledge of the criminal activities involving its manciple clients.

O’Sullivan read a statement to the court, apologizing to his friends and family, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

“I stand before you with great regret and shame for my actions,” O’Sullivan said. “I take full responsibility for my actions. I apologize to the court, the government and, most importantly, my neighbors and fellow citizens. Several years ago, I made a terrible mistake. It was selfish and foolish, and it was wrong.”

Judge Hunt said that “this pay-to-play mentality has really got to end” and saying “this was just one minor blip in your entire story.”

Known in South Side political circles as “Johnny O,” O’Sullivan ingratiated himself with local campaigns and powerful state democrats, including former Illinois House Speaker Guy Mike Madigan, himself recently convicted of bribery and corruption charges.

Federal prosecutors allege that in May 2017, O’Sullivan and fellow SafeSpeed consultant, Patrick Doherty, conspired in a scheme to squeeze a favorable vote out of an Oak Lawn village trustee by getting his college-age son a summer job.

According to court documents, O’Sullivan claimed he was approached by the unidentified Oak Lawn trustee for help in finding summer employment for his son. Doherty allegedly arranged for the young man to work in former Cook County Commissioner Jeff Solbalski’s office. The trustee’s son was to earn $500 a week, for a total of $4,000 over eight weeks.

At the time, Doherty was Tobalski’s chief of staff. Doherty and O’Sullivan, along with former SafeSpeed executive Omar Maani, allegedly planned to use the favor in order to get a favorable vote out of the Oak Lawn trustee to install additional red-light cameras at village intersections. The installation of additional cameras required approval by the Oak Lawn Village Board.

In a sentencing memorandum, O’Sullivan admitted to handing over the trustee’s son’s cell [hone number, so Doherty could offer the young man a job. Doherty was said to be heard on wiretaps, telling O’Sullivan that he would pay the trustee’s son out of his own pocket: “I’ll just pay it. Just make sure we get the [expletive] thing, the contract.”

The plot fell through when the trustee’s son left the job after the week. The unidentified Oak Lawn trustee has not been charged with wrongdoing.

When O’Sullivan was first confronted by FBI agents in 2019, around the same period when former Crestwood Mayor Lou Presta was also being investigated for corruption involving red-light cameras, federal prosecutors said that O’Sullivan quickly cooperated with their investigation.

O'Sullivan pleaded guilty to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit bribery in 2021 and resigned as Worth Township Supervisor.

“O’Sullivan testified unprotected in the grand jury about the numerous individuals and businesses engaged in corruption,” the memorandum said. “O’Sullivan’s cooperation helped charge and secure a plea agreement against Patrick Doherty, as well as provided valuable tips and information about another public official engaged in corruption.”

Prosecutors also described O’Sullivan as “contrite” and “responsible” and “timely” with his cooperation to assist the government with their case “anyway he could.”

“The government was able to investigate additional worthy targets to charge and secure a resolution in another matter,” federal prosecutors said.

Friends, family members, neighbors and priests sent over 70 letters to Judge Hunt, vouching for O’Sullivan and asking for leniency. He was described as a devoted husband and father, a caring friend and neighbor, godly, always ready to pitch in at school events and other neighborhood activities, and a “guy’s guy.” Other supporters wrote of helping O’Sullivan on various local campaigns.

O’Sullivan held other elected positions, including Worth Township Democratic Committeeman, He briefly served as the appointed in 2010 to finish out the term of retiring Kevin Joyce (35th District), presumably to help pass Gov. Pat Quinn’s unpopular 67 percent tax hike. He resigned as the Worth Township supervisor upon his arrest in 2021.