CHICAGO (AP) – Jurors at an Illinois lawmaker’s bribery trial have heard a secret FBI recording in which the Chicago Democrat appears to accept a $7,000 bribe — counted out in seven, $1,000 stacks.
Prosecutors played it Tuesday at a Chicago federal courtroom.
A campaign worker-turned-informant counts aloud as he hands the cash to Rep. Derrick Smith in March 2012. Both men sound jovial.
As the informant counts the fifth stack, he curses as the money sticks together. He pauses, then counts the rest.
The informant, referred to only as Pete, jokingly chides Smith for not expressing gratitude for the money. Laughing, Pete tells Smith he “didn’t even say thank you.” Smith insists he did.
The 50-year-old denies charges he took a $7,000 bribe in what turned out to be an FBI sting.
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