The former top aide to one of Chicago’s longest-serving alderpeople has been sentenced to three years probation and a $20,000 fine for his role in a scheme in which the pair allegedly used their public office to attain granite countertops and other home improvements.
The sentencing this week of Chester Wilson Jr., former chief of staff to then-Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), could be the closing chapter in an infamous, yearslong public corruption case in which U.S. District Judge John Kness previously ruled Austin, 77, was medically unfit for trial.
Prosecutors say that starting in April 2016, Austin and Wilson accepted home improvement materials such as sump pumps, a dehumidifier and kitchen cabinets as kickbacks from a developer overseeing a $50 million development in Austin’s ward. They allegedly then took action to benefit the developer and others…