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Chicago alderman's defense wants some evidence tossed

Posted June 10, 2017 7:00 am

The Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) - A lawyer for a Chicago alderman alleges that federal agents went too far in their surveillance tactics in a corruption investigation and that they may have violated the Democrat's constitutional rights.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports (http://bit.ly/2rf1IyZ ) that a motion filed Friday on Willie Cochran's behalf says investigators partly relied on post-9/11 laws targeting would-be terrorists to access Cochran's communications.

Thomas Durkin told the Sun-Times that investigators used "a very controversial method of obtaining electronic records" that he said may have violated protections against unreasonable searches.

Cochran pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including bribery and extortion. Prosecutors allege Cochran extorted money from a store owner and pilfered funds from an activities fund to pay for gambling and his daughter's college tuition.

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Information from: Chicago Sun-Times, http://chicago.suntimes.com/

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