Two former Illinois secretary of state employees and a driving-school operator received prison time today in the federal Operation Safe Road investigation of the bribes-for-licenses scandal.
The three men were sentenced in connection with selling truck driver’s licenses for cash payoffs.
Soon Young Cho, 40, a former manager at the Elk Grove Village licensing facility, and Wojciech “Wally” Grabinski, 51, a former owner of Enigma Driving School, each was sentenced to 8 months in prison, 2 years of supervision and a $3,000 fine.
“The sentence is very lenient even with the extent of Mr. Grabinski’s cooperation,” said U.S. District Judge Suzanne Conlon, after announcing the sentence.
More Top Picks Netgear Nighthawk Ac1750 R6700v2
Ronald Martin, 56, a secretary of state’s employee for nearly 20 years, was sentenced to 12 months in prison and 2 years’ supervision; he pocketed more bribes than Cho and Grabinski.
“I hope that my family will forgive me,” Martin said. “I am ashamed.”
All three pleaded guilty to extortion conspiracy last year. According to the indictment, Grabinski regularly paid bribes of up to $500 a week to Cho and Martin so unqualified applicants for truck driver’s licenses were automatically passed on written and road tests.
Martin took most of the money for his personal use; he also passed on some of the cash to Cho for the purchase of fundraising tickets for then-Secretary of State George Ryan, now governor.
Martin admitted taking money from Grabinski to ensure that his students — many of whom could not speak English — would be passed on written and road tests so they could get truck driver’s licenses at the Elk Grove facility.
For at least five years at the Elk Grove Village facility and then in Deerfield, Martin pocketed between $70,000 and $120,000 in bribes, according to his plea agreement. Grabinski admitted his take from the scheme totaled between $20,000 and $40,000; Cho took between $10,000 and $20,000.
Today’s sentences come a day after Waitung “Tony” Chan, the operator of a Chicago driving school, pleaded guilty to federal extortion charges related to the federal investigation. Chan admitted his middleman role in helping some 20 people fraudulently obtain commercial driver’s licenses from the secretary of state’s office.
Chan, 51, of Darien, will be sentenced June 16 on charges he conspired to commit extortion and aided and abetted the commission of extortion. He faces 12 months to 18 months in jail, but prosecutors said they intend to recommend a sentence of 10 months.