A Chicago politician was found guilty today of taking a 7-thousand dollar bribe. Illinois State Representative Derrick Smith took the bribe in exchange for supporting a daycare center’s application for state money.
The FBI secretly recorded Smith with the help of an informant - who helped arrange the bribe. In fact - Smith’s defense attorney says the informant pushed the bribe. They say Smith wouldn’t have sought it out.
Smith sat stone-faced in the courtroom as jurors read their verdict. Afterward - he told reporters he didn’t know why he was singled out by the FBI.
"We gave it a good fight. It’s God’s will. God knows the truth about it all and the jurors just didn’t see what God saw but we’re ok."
Smith - who represents Chicago’s West Side - now must vacate his seat in Springfield. But he was already on his way out - after he was defeated in the Democratic primary earlier this year.