PRESS RELEASE

Consultant Sentenced to More Than Four and a Half Years in Prison for Bribing City Officials

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois

CHICAGO — A consultant has been sentenced to more than four and a half years in federal prison for offering and providing bribes to City of Chicago officials in an effort to benefit his clients.

ROBERTO CALDERO, 70, of Chicago pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in September, 2022.  Caldero admitted in a plea agreement that in 2016, he offered and arranged for bribes to be provided to a City of Chicago alderman and a Chicago Public Schools employee in exchange for them taking official actions to benefit Caldero’s clients, who were seeking a custodial services contract at CPS, an honorary street name designation in Chicago, and the renaming of a parcel of property believed to be a Chicago Park District park.  The benefits Caldero offered the CPS employee included the prospect of future employment, champagne, discounted event space for a family event, and admission to an annual benefit for a museum.  To influence the alderman, Caldero arranged for campaign contributions to be made to political organizations affiliated with the alderman or his ward.  Unbeknownst to Caldero, the alderman was cooperating with the FBI.

U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger sentenced Caldero to 57-months on April 14, 2023.

The sentence is announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Chicago Public Schools Office of Inspector General participated in the investigation.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Michelle Kramer and Amarjeet Bhachu.

Updated April 18, 2023

U.S. Department of Justice Press Release