Where Corruption Is Rampant In American Cities

A recent report from The University of Illinois at Chicago listed the Judicial District across the U.S. with the most corruption and perhaps surprisingly, Washington D.C. is not in first place. The research drew on information from the Department of Justice and focused on public figures convicted of charges tied to corruption. Between 1976 and 2016, Illinois-Northern in Chicago had 1,731 federal corruption convictions, the highest number of any metropolitan region in the country.

LA's California Central District came second with 1,534 convictions while New-York Southern in Manhattan was third with 1,327. D.C. came in fifth overall with 1,159 convictions over the same time period. More than 30 of Chicago's City Council members have been involved in corruption cases since the 1970s. Most recently, Ald. Edward Burke was charged with extortion for allegedly trying to force a fast food company to do business with his private law firm.