City Hall for Sale

A long-serving mayor was charged with running his city hall as a criminal enterprise. Prosecutors said people paid bribes of $5,000 to $10,000 for city jobs, tow-truck firms gave campaign money to get on the police tow list, and property owners paid for contracts and tax breaks, with a top aide collecting. The jury cleared the mayor of the individual bribery and extortion counts. One count remained: conspiracy. Could the mayor, his aides and the city itself form one criminal 'enterprise' with a shared unlawful purpose? He said that was legally impossible.