A veteran Chicago police officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony as part of a federal probe that exposed how tow truck operators routinely paid bribes to cops in return for being tipped to traffic crashes.
Marcos Hernandez, a patrol officer in the Shakespeare District who has been with the department for more than 20 years, admitted using the computer in his squad car to improperly access motorists' information in order to pass it on to a tow truck driver in September 2006.
The guilty plea by Hernandez brings the number of convictions in the federal Operation Tow Scam probe to nine, including six Chicago police officers. A seventh Chicago cop still has charges pending against him.
In pleading guilty, Hernandez admitted that when a car crash occurred in the district, he often steered the tow truck business to a particular driver who paid him $100 for the tip. He also was paid $100 each time he on occasion provided the same operator with confidential information about the identity of drivers who were no longer at the scenes of the accidents, so the driver could contact them to tow their vehicles.
Under the plea agreement, Hernandez faces up to six months in prison or he could be given probation. U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo set his sentencing for Nov. 18.
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