Categories: Chicago

Former Chicago Public Schools employee admits his crime in federal court

Pedro Soto, a 45-year-old Chicago man, pleaded guilty in federal court for committing the crime of making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during an investigation. Soto is a former employee of the Chicago Public Schools. Soto made false statements to the FBI when the agency was investigating a criminal case related to the awarding of a custodial services contract.

Soto admitted that he made false statements to the agency when he was asked about his interaction with the lobbyist and the colleague of the lobbyist. In 2016, the lobbyist and its colleague assisted a company that filed a bid to acquire the contract valued at $1 billion. Soto was a member of a CPS evaluation team at that time. His responsibility was to recommend a company to the Chicago Board of Education for the awarding of the contract.

Soto pleaded guilty for providing non-public information to the colleague of the lobbyist. The lobbyist’s colleague offered several benefits to Soto in return for the information. He also admitted that he made false statements to the FBI when he was asked about providing information to the lobbyist’s colleague.

According to the court documents, Soto entered a guilty plea agreement to one count of making false statements to an agency of the US. According to the US Sentencing Guidelines, Soto can face a sentence of up to 5 years in federal prison for committing this crime.

Soto will be presented in a status hearing on December 10, 2020, at 9:30 am. Sharon Johnson Coleman, a US District Judge, did not set a sentencing date for Soto yet. Emmerson Buie, Jr., the special agent-in-charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Division, and Jonn R. Lausch, Jr., the US attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, announced the guilty plea in the court. The Inspector General’s Office of the Chicago Board of Education assisted the investigators in the case. Matthew Kutcher and Michelle Kramer, the assistant US attorney, are representing the government in the case.

Jackson Sorbo

Managing editor of the Chicago Morning Star

Recent Posts

Senate Democrats mock Biden for selling weapons to Israel

Some of President Biden's strongest Senate allies are calling on Israelis to end months of fierce fighting and criticizing the…

11 months ago

The biggest cities in Ukraine are struck by Russian missiles, leaving at least 4 dead and over 100 injured

Ukraine's KYIV — At least four people were killed and nearly 100 injured when Russian hypersonic ballistic missiles attacked Ukraine's…

11 months ago

Good News That’s Much Needed for Biden

The economy is making Americans feel a little more upbeat, especially when it comes to jobs and incomes, which could…

12 months ago

College Ventilation System Reveals Missing Man

The discovery of a decaying body inside a college ventilation system marked the tragic and unexplained end to a missing…

12 months ago

Following three Palestinian shots, a Vermont man was arrested

Following the shooting deaths of three 20-year-old Palestinian-American students in Vermont, authorities have detained a man. According to a news…

12 months ago

China is told to cease “COVID deception” due to the pneumonia outbreak by the US envoy

The United States ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, urged Chinese authorities "to abandon COVID deception" and demanded that China be…

12 months ago

This website uses cookies.