Three contractors have been sentenced to prison for paying tens of thousands of dollars in kickbacks to Oak Forest’s former public works superintendent in order to get and keep city business.
U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo sentenced Scott Kebleris, owner of Chicagoland Electric Inc. in Palos Heights, to 16 months in prison; Michael Langland, owner of A Cut Above Tree & Stump Removal of Midlothian, to 15 months in prison; and Alan Grove, owner of Sure Construction Co. of Midlothian, to 6 months in prison and 6 months of home confinement.
The varying sentences were based in part on the extent of the cooperation provided by the three, according to Assistant U.S. Atty. Reid Schar.
All three had pleaded guilty to corruption for giving money to Michael Feeley, formerly Oak Forest’s public works superintendent. Feeley also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
In pleading guilty, Grove, 57, admitted paying Feeley more than $161,440 in bribes to get more than $1 million in work from the city, authorities said.
Langland, 31, paid $103,200 to Feeley to obtain about $900,000 in city business.
Kebleris, 40, admitted kicking back more than $30,000 to Feeley to win about $280,000 in electrical work from the city.
Castillo ordered all three defendants to pay full restitution to the city.
“It takes two really to create this situation,” said the judge in reference to the fact that Feeley couldn’t have pulled off the scheme without the aid of bribe-paying contractors.
Lawyers for the three said each had to pay bribes to Feeley if they wanted to get or keep the lucrative city work.
