Inspector admits lying in bribery probe

A former Chicago plumbing inspector has pleaded guilty in federal court to lying to a postal inspector as part of a federal investigation of bribery.

Forty-one-year-old Eric Reyes told U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle on Wednesday that he knowingly made false statements. Reyes could be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison at a hearing scheduled for November.

According to prosecutors, Reyes tried to get a letter of intent from a licensed plumber to accompany a permit for a multiunit building that a co-worker was handling.

Reyes denied he took such action when he was questioned about it by a postal inspector.