(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The sweeping federal investigation of corruption in city government just got bigger.
A federal grand jury handed up federal indictments Thursday afternoon against 34th Ward Ald. Carrie Austin and her chief of staff, Chester Wilson Jr.
Federal prosecutors accuse Austin, 72, and Wilson of conspiring for her to get home improvement work from contractors who wanted help for a development project in Austin's ward.
Austin -- who also is accused of lying to the FBI -- has represented the 34th Ward since being appointed in 1994 to fill the term of her late husband Lemuel. The charges come more than two years after federal agents raided her ward office.
She is now the third sitting alderman facing federal charges, after Alds. Ed Burke (14th) and Patrick Daley Thompson (11th).
Wilson, 55, also is accused of fraudulently obtaining a SNAP benefits card, for which he was not eligible, prosecutors said.
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