Tow truck driver sentenced for targeting Chicago sightseers

CHICAGO (AP) - A former city of Chicago tow truck driver is facing nine years behind bars for towing away cars of sightseers, then demanding bribes of up to $150 to return the vehicles.

Chicago's Office of Inspector General says in a Friday statement that a Cook County judge sentenced Lennie Perry on two counts of bribery and two of official misconduct. Sentencing was Wednesday.

Perry's wife, Arica Reed-Perry, was in on the scheme. She drove one sightseer to an ATM when the victim said she didn't have enough cash to pay the bribe. Reed-Perry pleaded guilty to theft and received two years of probation.

The case focused on three instances where Lennie Perry sought bribes in 2014. He worked for the Department of Streets and Sanitation but has since been fired.