Riverdale mayor indicted on perjury, obstruction of justice charges, federal prosecutors say

RIVERDALE, Ill. (WLS) -- The mayor of south suburban Riverdale has been indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice charges, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.

Mayor Lawrence Jackson, 49, of Riverdale allegedly falsely testified during a deposition for a civil lawsuit filed in 2018 by a waste management company against Jackson and the city of Riverdale, the indictment stated.

The civil lawsuit, filed by Tri-State Disposal Inc., alleged that Jackson had retaliated against the company by refusing to renew their garbage collection contract, and instead the city filed a zoning permit to allow another waste management company to operate in Riverdale. The lawsuit alleged that Jackson gave preferential treatment to the other garbage collection company. because of a personal relationship with the owner.

The federal indictment alleges Jackson knowingly made false statements while testifying under oath in 2021 with an attorney for Tri-State Disposal, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois said. Jackson allegedly claimed he did not know the owner of the new garbage collection company, and he was introduced to them by the Riverdale village administrator. A federal investigation showed that Jackson did have a prior history with the owner of the company, and he exchanged text messages with the owner during the deposition process, the indictment states.

The indictment also stated that Jackson and his wife owned a trucking company, Centennial Holdings, and the owner of the garbage collection company had prior involvement in its operations.

The obstruction of justice charge has a maximum sentence of 20 years. The perjury charge has a maximum sentence of five years.