Somonauk man sentenced in 2019 bribery case of Sandwich mayor, police chief

SYCAMORE - A Somonauk man pleaded guilty in DeKalb County court this week to a 2019 bribery scheme during which he attempted to solicit the Sandwich police chief’s aid and bribe the Sandwich mayor with $500 to greenlight a permit for Rt. 34 Pub & Grub.

As a result of the plea, Ryan F. Sargis, 46, of the 400 block of Holiday Drive in Somonauk, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison in a bribery incident from 2019 after police said they recorded him discussing a payoff scheme with Sandwich Police Chief James Bianchi.

Sargis entered a guilty plea to DeKalb County Circuit Court Judge Marcy Buick Wednesday morning at the DeKalb County courthouse. In exchange for the plea, Buick handed down a sentence of three years for the attempted bribery, a Class 2 felony. Sargis will also get credit for the 10 days he’s served in jail, and will have to pay an additional $799 in fines, records show.

Sargis was also sentenced after entering a guilty plea Wednesday to one year in prison for a driving while license revoked charge from 2019, which he will serve consecutively with his bribery sentence, prosecutors confirmed.

According to court documents, Sargis met on Sept. 18, 2019 with Bianchi and offered him $500 to give to interim Sandwich Mayor Rich Robinson. In return, Sargis wanted the mayor’s help to secure a special use permit for Route 34 Pub & Grub, 1201 E. Church St., according to court documents. Documents show that Sargis was in charge of daily business at the restaurant.

Sargis was arrested at shortly after noon on Sept. 18, 2019 in the 1200 block of East Church Street, Sandwich.

According to court documents, police obtained a warrant Aug. 30 to authorize eavesdropping by police to record conversations in their investigation. The warrant had been obtained for police to use an eavesdropping device for conversations between Aug. 30 and Sept. 29 of that year.