Friday Funny: Plot To Bribe A Zoning Coordinator Foiled

Excitement comes to a planning office in a sleepy town in Illinois, as a couple is arrested after trying to bribe the zoning coordinator.

1 minute read

September 26, 2003, 2:00 PM PDT

By Connie Chung

"A married couple who wanted to turn their Park Ridge home into a six-flat apartment building walked into City Hall...and offered the zoning coordinator $100,000 to let them subvert city zoning laws....Their two-story home is zoned to allow no more than a two-flat, and they were looking for someone who, for quick cash, would help them change the zoning designation....The alleged kickback attempt was bungled from the start....The couple first left the bribe offer on a zoning office answering machine....Zoning coordinator Tom Hoff called police and played the message for officers. A meeting was set up with the couple, and Hoff, who normally handles the minutiae of zoning laws, found himself in a police sting, wearing a wire....The charges have made for high drama at the normally sleepy City Hall."

Thanks to Connie Chung

Read the full story: Zoning request leads to arrests

Friday, September 19, 2003 in The Chicago Tribune

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