Chicago Area Mayor Pleads Guilty

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

As mayor of Niles, Nicholas Blase steered local businesses to buy insurance from an agency that paid him $420,000 in kickbacks over the last 20 years.

That's what the former mayor, 80, admitted Friday, when he changed his plea to federal corruption charges of mail fraud and tax evasion from "not guilty" to "guilty."

Blase, who was also the former Maine Township Democratic committeeman, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud in the kickback scheme, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He also pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion, which carries a prison sentence of three years and a fine of up to $100,000.

Great moments in the Cook County Democratic party.