News

Ex-Teamster leader pleads guilty in Chicago extortion case

Posted July 30, 2019 7:00 am

The Associated Press

Former longtime Chicago Teamsters boss John T. Coli Sr. leaves the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago after pleading guilty to receiving a prohibited payment and filing a false income tax return, Tuesday morning, July 30, 2019. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP) The Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) - A 59-year-old who was one of Chicago's most powerful labor leaders has pleaded guilty to receiving over $500,000 in illegal payments and benefits, including the use of a yacht.

Former Teamsters Union official, John Coli Sr., changed his plea to guilty Tuesday in a federal case focused on how he squeezed one Chicago company for cash. He agreed to cooperate for a lower prison term of around 20 months.

The plea deal describes Coli threatening in 2016 to bring a picket line to the company and "shut it down within an hour" if it stopped $25,000 quarterly payments to him. Court filings don't identify the company.

Coli pleaded guilty to receiving prohibited payments as a union officer and making a false income tax return. Eleven other counts will be dismissed.

Article Comments

Article Categories
Chicago Content Providers News Region

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.