Bribes get Laski's wired pal a year in jail

As a result, Jones lost friends.

He lost his city job.

And on Wednesday, he lost his freedom.

A federal judge sentenced Jones, 49, to one year and a day in prison for paying bribes at Laski's request, so Laski would use his clout to put dump trucks linked to Jones into the city's Hired Truck Program.

Jones paid $500 a month from 1998 to 2001 when Laski was putting one truck on. The bribed doubled when Laski put two trucks on.

Faced death threat

Jones could have been sentenced to up to 30 months. But he got a break because of his extraordinary cooperation. He will serve about 10 months of his sentence of one year and a day.

"If it were not for Mr. Jones, the city of Chicago would have a corrupt, bribe-taking city clerk in office today," federal prosecutor Manish Shah said.

Jones gave the feds new information on Laski.

Jones' attorney, Michael Ettinger, described "the nightmare" Jones endured since deciding to cooperate with the government. Friends have turned their back on Jones, who will have to move. A political operative of Laski threatened Jones' life, Ettinger said. Jones' wife, too, has suffered with health problems.

'It's unbelievable what this poor man went through," Ettinger said.

Shah drew a sharp contrast between Jones and Laski when federal investigators first asked them about the crooked deals last year.

Jones told the truth. He offered to cooperate.

'I made a bad decision'

Laski lied to investigators. And lied some more. And counseled Jones to lie.

"Do you think when I sat down with the government for three hours . . . I didn't lie?" Laski told Jones once, according to the transcript of a secret recording Jones made of the conversation.

With the feds closing in, Laski offered $5,000 for Jones' legal bills, what Shah termed "essentially hush money."

Laski eventually decided to cooperate and plead guilty, receiving a 2-year prison sentence in June.

Jones apologized for paying the bribes, as his family packed two courtroom rows, some dabbing away tears.

"I made a bad decision and an error and most of all, I did something very wrong, and I embarrassed my family," Jones said.

swarmbir@suntimes.com