Federal trial scuttled for Sen. Emil Jones III
Thursday, Dec 11, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
A month before his retrial on bribery charges, state Sen. Emil Jones III has agreed to enter into a deferred prosecution deal with prosecutors that will leave him with no conviction as long as he admits to certain illegal conduct and pays a fine.
The agreement was announced at a hearing Thursday before U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood and scuttles a trial that had been set for Jan. 12.
Under the terms of the deal, Jones would pay a fine of $6,800, agree to stay out of legal trouble, and make admissions about his meetings with FBI mole Omar Maani and agree that his later statements to the FBI about how much Maani paid Jones’ intern were false.
If Jones lives up to his end of the agreement, the charges against him will be dropped in December 2026.
The case was flawed from the start. He never took the money offered by a government mole, who himself admitted on the stand to passing bribes to important people through other important people (none of whom were charged). The government also used some questionable tactics against Jones, including trying to paint him as having a gay relationship.
* Sun-Times…
When Wood asked Jones whether he wanted to go forward with the arrangement, Jones said “absolutely.”
Federal prosecutors in Chicago struck a similar deal in October with ex-AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza, whose own trial also ended with a hung jury.
- Ukrainian Village Usurper - Thursday, Dec 11, 25 @ 1:10 pm:
Illegal or not, what Jones did was a bad look. And his “relationship” with his intern (whether it was romantic or not) was certainly inappropriate. At least he’ll face SOME consequences.
- Best in the world - Thursday, Dec 11, 25 @ 1:10 pm:
Weak case all along. The government is prosecuting the wrong Jones under general assembly.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Dec 11, 25 @ 1:12 pm:
===Illegal or not, what Jones did was a bad look===
The federal government should absolutely not be putting people on trial for “bad looks.”
===“relationship” with his intern===
Former.
- Chicago voter - Thursday, Dec 11, 25 @ 1:30 pm:
==Weak case all along. The government is prosecuting the wrong Jones under general assembly.==
Yeah. The second sentence.
- Dotnonymous x - Thursday, Dec 11, 25 @ 2:50 pm:
Will those who have never looked bad hold up your pious hands?
- state worker - Thursday, Dec 11, 25 @ 5:53 pm:
The work of the feds should not have the look and feel of going after someone, and kinda trying to smear them, and then losing and retrying them. I’m glad there is an agreement here that does not include a conviction, but overreach is overreach. No one benefits from government overreach.
- Walker - Thursday, Dec 11, 25 @ 7:50 pm:
This case was about as weak as they come. The Ads look worse than Jones at this point.
- 44 - Thursday, Dec 11, 25 @ 8:59 pm:
At least he won’t be begging for a Trump pardon now.