Former building inspector pleads guilty to bribery

Officials say a former Chicago city building inspector has pleaded guilty to bribery, becoming the ninth defendant convicted in a joint city-federal investigation of corruption in the city's building and zoning departments.

The Chicago Inspector General's office says Plumbing inspector John Chamberlain pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of bribery and was sentenced to two years of probation. In addition, state law mandates that Chamberlain, a 19-year veteran of the Chicago Building Department, be stripped of his city pension.

Authorities say Chamberlain was making $85,000 a year as an inspector when an undercover operation caught him soliciting a $500 bribe to agree to overlook construction work that violated the city building code.