Assessor’s office employee pleads not guilty to federal fraud charges alleging he took sports tickets and home improvements to change assessments

An employee of the Cook County assessor’s business pleaded not responsible Tuesday to a federal cost alleging he conspired to accept presents in trade for reductions in assessments for professional homes.

Lavdim Memisovski, 43, was charged in a legal data submitted in U.S. District Courtroom very last week with accepting “home improvement supplies, residence enhancement companies, jewellery, foods, sporting event tickets” and other products in exchange for the reductions.

Memisovski entered his plea in a phone arraignment right before U.S. Justice of the peace Choose Sheila Finnegan.

Defendants charged by way of data, rather than by grand jury indictment, usually intend to plead responsible. Memisovski’s attorney, Chris Gair, declined to comment on the situation.

In accordance to the charge, Memisovski allegedly conspired with two unnamed people in between 2016 and July 2018 to acknowledge the benefits for altering his operate.

In a single occasion, according to prosecutors, Memisovski experienced sprinklers put in in his residence as part of the scheme. Prosecutors mentioned they were trying to get the forfeiture of at least $20,000 from Memisovski.

At the time of the alleged fraud, the assessor’s business office was led by Joseph Berrios, the then-manager of the Cook dinner County Democratic Social gathering. Berrios misplaced his bid for a 3rd time period as assessor in the 2018 Democratic major to Fritz Kaegi, who promised to reform the office environment that has extended been witnessed as a den of clout and patronage.

After the prices against Memisovski ended up declared past 7 days, a spokesman for Kaegi mentioned the workplace now has a demanding ethics code for all employees “which forbids the use of the assessor’s place of work for individual get.”

“The leadership of the assessor’s office environment has upheld and continues to uphold the greatest ethical benchmarks for all employees,” the spokesman reported in an emailed assertion. “Though this individual remained an worker of the place of work, the activities mentioned in the charging doc transpired for the duration of the prior administration and do not reference any exercise for the duration of this administration. The assessor was not conscious these charges have been currently being considered.”

Memisovski joined the assessor’s office environment in 2005 and was earning about $127,000 a yr, in accordance to public documents. He is absolutely free on a recognizance bond.

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