State Sen. Emil Jones III reaches deferred prosecution agreement ahead of retrial in bribery case

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.

Dressed in a brown suit, Jones stood at the lectern in court and told the judge he was satisfied with the work of his attorneys. Asked by Wood if he wished to enter into the agreement, he answered “Absolutely” in a deep voice.

Jones, 47, a Chicago Democrat and son of former Senate President Emil Jones Jr., was charged with agreeing to take bribes from an executive of a red-light camera company in exchange for Jones’ protection in Springfield against legislation that would hurt the company’s bottom line.

His first trial in April ended in a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision on all counts.

This is a developing story. Check back for details. 

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/state-sen-emil-jones-deferred-prosecution-agreement/