A federal judge on Wednesday lamented the pervasiveness of public corruption in Illinois as she ordered a one-year probation sentence for a longtime Chicago fire inspector and 14th Ward precinct captain who admitted to lying to the FBI in connection with a bribery probe into former state Sen. Martin Sandoval.

Rudy Acosta, 72, appeared for sentencing at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse before Judge Mary Rowland nearly two years to the day after he pleaded guilty in 2021 to misleading the FBI in a series of interviews in 2017 and 2018 about its investigation into Sandoval and other elected officials.

Federal prosecutors said Acosta has cooperated in ongoing corruption investigations, but did not elaborate in open court. Portions of the hearing were conducted outside of public view, with some arguments from federal prosecutors and Acosta’s attorneys allowed to take place under seal.

In delivering the sentence, Rowland stressed the importance of sending a message to those in positions of power across the state in order to deter official misconduct, but ultimately took into account Acosta’s health issues, that he is a caregiver for his daughter and his “extensive” cooperation in FBI probes.

“It’s funny because we call these offenses victimless offenses, but my personal opinion is that of all crimes that are prosecuted in this building, this is probably the most serious, does the most damage to society,” Rowland said. “We are living in an era where people are losing faith in government.”

Acosta spent decades around some of Chicago’s most colorful — and allegedly corrupt — politicians, watching as a succession of his political mentors were hit with federal charges, including Ald. Fred Roti, the mob-connected leader of the old 1st Ward who went to prison for bribery, and current Ald. Edward Burke, who is awaiting trial on sweeping racketeering charges.

But it was Acosta’s work as a liaison for Sandoval that finally landed him in hot water.

Although Acosta provided information about the criminal activities of others, he lied or failed to disclose benefits, including money, free services, meals and travel, that both he and Sandoval had received from Individual A, an uncharged businessman who was under investigation for bribing Sandoval in exchange for his official support.

Acosta also admitted in a plea agreement with prosecutors that he concealed from the FBI that he’d made periodic cash payments to Sandoval related to support for his business, Power Washing Pros, and that he’d also “facilitated bribe payments to another public official.”

In a light blue suit flanked by his attorneys, Acosta expressed remorse to the judge, pledging to recommit to being a “good citizen and neighbor.”

His attorney, Jeffrey Steinback, said Acosta is known for helping people in his neighborhood, including at one point securing laptops and equipment for a local elementary school. Steinback said Acosta suffers from his own health issues while also caring for his daughter, who has Huntington’s disease.

“He’s a go-to guy in the neighborhood for any problem that may arise,” Steinback said, arguing for a probation term.

Prosecutors did not argue for a particular sentence, but did not dispute the advisory guideline of zero to six months in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Morgan said Acosta provided “substantial assistance” to authorities, but also lied to them on eight different occasions.

“These lies were not a momentary lapse in judgment,” she said. “They occurred on numerous occasions over multiple years to cover up official misconduct.”

Rowland noted that Acosta’s attorney spent “quite a bit of time” arguing for probation, and added that she was “sorry” that Sandoval was not able to be held to account for his role in the case.

Sandoval pleaded guilty to taking bribes from a red-light camera company executive and was cooperating with federal prosecutors until his death in 2020 from COVID-19 complications.

“Judges in this building are so weary of public corruption … so the sentences in those cases are becoming harsher,” she said.

Rowland, though, said she did not want to take Acosta away from his ill daughter.

An old-school remnant of Chicago Democratic machine politics, Acosta is among those who have pleaded guilty in a sprawling corruption probe that has so far led to charges against more than half a dozen elected officials and other political operatives.

Acosta served for years as a 14th Ward precinct captain under Burke, who was charged in a racketeering indictment in 2019 with using his position as chairman of the City Council Finance Committee to strong-arm businessmen to hire his private law firm to appeal their property taxes.

He was also a key aide for Sandoval, a Southwest Side legislator who was head of the Illinois Senate Transportation Committee. Sandoval resigned after his Springfield offices were raided in 2019.

After Sandoval was charged, rumors of Acosta’s cooperation began circulating in legal circles. He denied being an informant when approached by a Tribune reporter in October 2019.

Acosta’s son, Rudy Acosta III, is currently facing federal drug conspiracy charges alleging he distributed large amounts of narcotics in the Chicago area for Mexican cartel members. He is currently scheduled for a change of plea hearing on Thursday, according to court records.

To help bond his son out of jail while the case is pending, Acosta agreed in 2016 to post his longtime home on South Avers Avenue as collateral, court records show. He also offered his $65,000 annual firefighter’s pension as further collateral.

The elder Acosta’s name surfaced in 2019 in a separate federal case alleging the operator of a clout-heavy Summit tavern paid $6,500 in bribes to two undisclosed officials in the southwest suburb in exchange for official acts benefiting one of his businesses.

Acosta has been at the center of other political scandals through the years. In 2011, his home on Avers Avenue was found to have served as the home address for four students who were given legislative scholarships by Sandoval. One of the coveted free rides went to the son of Michael “Jaws” Giorango, a twice-convicted, mob-connected bookie and strip club consultant.

But Acosta’s first loyalty was to Burke. After the longtime 14th Ward powerhouse was reelected in 2019 despite the federal charges, Acosta was among the ardent supporters who cheered Burke at his election night victory party at the Red Barrel restaurant on South Archer Avenue, according to a Sun-Times report.

“All these do-gooder people in office, what do they do? Take money. They all take money,” Acosta said at the time. “I can’t tell you the amount of people he’s helped. When he’s done, Camelot is gone.”

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com