CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (BNO NEWS) – A Chicago city building inspector was convicted for accepting and demanding bribes since 2005, prosecutors said.

Jose Hernandez, 47, is the 15th city inspector and the 19th defendant overall to be convicted as part of a federal corruption investigation. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. Hernandez was found guilty on all four counts of bribery.

The defendant has been a building inspector since 1988 and was arrested as part of the Operation Crooked Code. Such investigation has charged a total of 27 defendants since it became public in 2007.

Since late 2005, Hernandez had a corrupt relationship with a permit expediter and with a contractor since 2007. Both men have been cooperating in the investigation.

Evidence showed that the defendant accepted a $1,000 bribe from the cooperating contractor on August 21, 2008, for performing a rough inspection at a single-family residence in Chicago. A rough inspection consists in the examination of the framing, electrical wiring, plumbing, and ventilation ducts before the interior walls are sealed.

At the time of the inspection the interior walls were covered with drywall, rendering a legitimate inspection impossible. Despite this, Hernandez signed the building permit, saying "rough frame approved."

Subsequently, the defendant accepted a $1,000 bribe from the same individual for another fraudulent residential rough inspection performed in a similar manner.

Furthermore, in April 2006 and June 2007, Hernandez demanded $2,000 bribes from two different developers to not issue stop work orders at commercial buildings.

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