Willie Cochran
Willie Cochran was a member of the Chicago City Council representing the 20th ward of the City of Chicago. First elected in 2007 defeating long-time alderman Arenda Troutman with 63% of the vote. Cochran did not seek reelection in 2019. Education and early career. Cochran served in the Chicago Police Department from 1977-2003 rising from patrol-man to sergeant. He graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1975 and received his MPA from Illinois Institute of Technology. Aldermanic career. Cochran was elected alderman for the 20th ward of the City of Chicago in 2007, unseating Arenda Troutman  with 63% of the vote. Cochran was subsequently reelected in 2011 and 2015. Troutman did not seek reelection in 2019, after being indicted on a federal charge. His ward included Woodlawn, Washington Park, and Englewood, Grand Crossing, and Back of the Yards Corruption. In December 2016, he was charged in a 15-count indictment for stealing funds "meant for poor children and seniors". According to the Associated Press, he plans to plead guilty in 2018. On March 21, 2019, at the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse in Chicago, he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud for misusing  campaign funds for gambling and other personal expenses. Under the plea agreement, he faced a sentence of 12 to 18 months in prison or probation. Cochran was sentenced to one year in prison on June 24, 2019 and reported to prison on August 23, 2019.