An staff of the Cook dinner County assessor’s business office pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a federal demand alleging he conspired to settle for items in exchange for reductions in assessments for industrial homes.
Lavdim Memisovski, 43, was billed in a legal information filed in U.S. District Courtroom very last week with accepting “home improvement elements, property improvement services, jewellery, meals, sporting celebration tickets” and other items in exchange for the reductions.
Memisovski entered his plea in a telephone arraignment right before U.S. Magistrate Decide Sheila Finnegan.
Defendants charged by way of data, instead than by grand jury indictment, commonly intend to plead guilty. Memisovski’s legal professional, Chris Gair, declined to comment on the circumstance.
In accordance to the cost, Memisovski allegedly conspired with two unnamed persons amongst 2016 and July 2018 to accept the rewards for altering his operate.
In one instance, according to prosecutors, Memisovski had sprinklers set up in his house as component of the plan. Prosecutors explained they had been trying to get the forfeiture of at minimum $20,000 from Memisovski.
At the time of the alleged fraud, the assessor’s office was led by Joseph Berrios, the then-manager of the Cook dinner County Democratic Get together. Berrios shed his bid for a third phrase as assessor in the 2018 Democratic primary to Fritz Kaegi, who promised to reform the place of work that has long been viewed as a den of clout and patronage.
Following the fees from Memisovski were being introduced final week, a spokesman for Kaegi explained the workplace now has a rigorous ethics code for all workforce “which forbids the use of the assessor’s office environment for private acquire.”
“The leadership of the assessor’s place of work has upheld and continues to uphold the greatest ethical requirements for all workers,” the spokesman said in an emailed statement. “Though this person remained an personnel of the workplace, the situations outlined in the charging doc occurred during the prior administration and do not reference any action throughout this administration. The assessor was not aware these prices were becoming regarded.”
Memisovski joined the assessor’s office environment in 2005 and was earning about $127,000 a calendar year, in accordance to public data. He is cost-free on a recognizance bond.