Ex-Merrillville councilman pleads guilty to bribery

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A former northwest Indiana town councilman has pleaded guilty to bribery for his role in an influence-buying scheme for towing contracts.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports 51-year-old Thomas Goralczyk entered the plea Wednesday in federal court. He admitted in a plea agreement that he accepted two vehicles from a witness cooperating with the FBI on the promise he would use his influence as a Merrillville councilman to steer a towing contract to the informant's towing company.

His sentencing is set for May 16. He faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release,

Goralczyk was first elected as a councilman in 2007 and served as president of the council in 2011 and 2015. He lost a re-election bid in 2015.

Read more: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/ex-merrillville-councilman-pleads-guilty-to-bribery/article_29ee1772-c76c-571f-85a7-1972fcc28578.html