Former Summit Police Chief John Kosmowski was sentenced last week to three years in federal prison for accepting money from a local businessman to help grease the transfer of a liquor license.
Kosmowski, 58, of Lockport, was convicted in December of bribery conspiracy, bribery, and obstruction of justice. On July 15, U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger sentenced Kosmowski to three years in federal prison.
Evidence at trial revealed that Kosmowski conspired with Bill Mundy, a Summit building inspector, to accept $10,000 from businessman Krzystof Hodurek in 2017. Kosmowski and Mundy accepted the money intending to be influenced and rewarded in connection with the transfer of the liquor license of the Mars Bar, 6030 S. Harlem Ave., to another person. Kosmowski received a cash payment from Hodurek in 2017 and then gave Mundy a portion of it.
Both men were indicted by a federal grand jury in 2022.
Mundy pleaded guilty prior to trial to bribery and tax offenses. He is awaiting sentencing.
Hodurek pleaded guilty last year to a federal wire fraud charge in connection with an unrelated scheme to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits from the state of Illinois. As part of his guilty plea, Hodurek admitted to participating in the bribery scheme with Kosmowski and Mundy. Hodurek also is awaiting sentencing.
The obstruction conviction against Kosmowski stemmed from a meeting he had with Mundy in which Kosmowski informed Mundy of the federal investigation into the bribe. During the meeting, Kosmowski sought to persuade Mundy to mischaracterize the purpose of the payment by falsely suggesting that it was a loan.
Kosmowski’s sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Ryan Whalen, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Marta Grijalva, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago.
“Defendant was a sworn law enforcement official who put personal profit over the public that he had a duty to protect,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Hasten argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Corruption by law enforcement officials strikes at the heart of government, eroding public confidence in those very officials that the public trusts to ensure their safety.”
After Kosmowski and Mundy were indicted, they were suspended by the village and later terminated. Summit Police Lt. Mel Ortiz was named acting police chief and later promoted to police chief. Jerry Rosales was named interim public works director to replace Mundy and was later promoted permanently to the job.