Former Illinois State Sen. Martin Sandoval, who pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges earlier this year and had agreed to cooperate with federal investigations, died of pneumonia due to a COVID-19 infection, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
Sandoval's cause of death was released Monday morning, with the medical examiner determining hypertension, chronic kidney disease and obesity were additional contributing factors.
Sandoval, 56, passed away after he was hospitalized due to the illness, his attorney told the Chicago Tribune Saturday.
“While he may have strayed from the standard he set for himself, he was making a genuine effort to make amends for his mistakes through his cooperation and its ongoing investigation,” attorney Dylan Smith told the paper.
Sandoval was first elected to the Illinois State Senate in 2003, eventually ascending to a leadership role as the chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.
In Sept. 2019, Sandoval’s offices at the state capitol and in Cicero were raided by federal agents. Shortly after the raids, Sandoval announced his resignation from his chairmanship of the committee, then announced he would resign from the Senate.
Sandoval later pleaded guilty to federal bribery and tax charges, reaching a cooperation agreement with the United States government in connection with the case.
