A top Chicago Department of Aviation official was federally indicted this week in an alleged sham contracting scheme for snow removal at O’Hare International Airport.

Eric Sanders, 54, was charged with four counts of fraud and one count each of conspiracy to commit fraud and tax evasion, according to a copy of the complaint filed Monday in the U.S. Northern District of Illinois. He is accused of pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a snow removal company from 2016 to 2023, with the help of his father, his girlfriend and her son.

An Aviation Department official did not immediately respond to request for comment on Wednesday.

As of this week, Sanders remained employed as the department’s general manager of airport operations, according to a city employee dashboard, which says h

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