Chicago – A federal grand jury has formally indicted Illinois State Rep. Derrick Smith on a bribery charge.

Federal prosecutors say Smith was indicted Tuesday. He is accused of accepting a $7,000 cash bribe in exchange for writing a letter of support for a daycare center that he believed was seeking a state grant. The 48-year-old state representative from Chicago was initially charged and arrested on March 13. The indictment seeks $4,500 in unrecovered proceeds of the alleged bribe payment.

The charge against Smith came after an undercover FBI investigation that started in December 2011. A federal bribery count is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine plus mandatory restitution. . .