Posted on 04/24/2019 7:45:25 AM PDT by PBRCat
Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, his wife and his brother-in-law are under federal criminal investigation for a dubious residential property tax appeal that dogged him during his gubernatorial campaign.
The billionaire governor and his wife may face a serious legal threat arising from their controversial pursuit of a property tax break on a 126-year-old mansion they purchased next to their Gold Coast home.
A Cook County inspector general’s report found MK Pritzker directed workers to remove all toilets from the mansion in order to have it declared “uninhabitable,” which gave the Pritzkers a huge property tax break.
“Neither the Governor nor the First Lady have been contacted by law enforcement regarding the property tax appeal,” said Elias, a partner with the Perkins Coie law firm.
Disclosure of the investigation comes at a sensitive time for a governor. And the distraction of a federal criminal probe could threaten to disrupt his aggressive first-term agenda in Springfield.
The property tax scandal picked up steam a month before the November 2018 gubernatorial election, when the Chicago Sun-Times published news of a confidential memo from Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard.
The report found the Pritzkers had caused the residence they had purchased next to their home to fall into disrepair, in part, by removing its toilets in October 2015 in order to lower the home’s property taxes by having it declared “vacant and uninhabitable.”
The confidential report by the inspector general characterized the Pritzkers’ tax appeal as a “scheme to defraud” taxpayers. Blanchard also connected the scheme to possible violations of state and federal law, including perjury and mail fraud.
On Oct. 4, 2018, three days after the Sun-Times published its story, Muenster cut five checks totalling $331,432 on the Pritzkers’ behalf and sent them to Cook County Treasurer.
(Excerpt) Read more at wbez.org ...
Rocky and Bullwinkle fans stay tuned for our next adventure: Will it be Potty Baron does the Klink? or Up the creek without a flapper?
I’m shocked, shocked, that there’s corruption from the Governor.
The fat billionaire,
Far, far beyond just fat!
The good part; maybe he could do a Mama Cass!
Seldom do the news videos, give a full view of his immense girth
This is small potatoes as far as corruption in Illinois is concerned. The real scam is run by the politicians who are connected to the law firms who do the property tax appeals, like Mike and Lisa Madigan. It’s an open secret that real estate tax rates in Illinois are not actually tied to any legitimate formula, they just decide how much money they want and then raise everyone’s taxes to meet that goal.
Then, if you want a break, the only way it is likely to happen is if you hire one of the law firms that are connected to politicians to do your tax appeal. Hire one of those firms and they will get you a 20-30% refund. Hire another firm and you are probably getting denied, no matter how strong a case you have. They are essentially extorting the taxpayers and lining their pockets with bribes from those who can afford to buy their way out of the trap.
“This has been widely publicized since before last fall’s election but the filthy illannoy democrats voted for him anyhow.”
Everyone in the state is trying to get their property taxes reduced by hook or by crook, so nobody is really going to begrudge Pritzker for this. It’s all part of the system, unfortunately. You bend the rules or you get bent over yourself.
Sure, because by democrat standards, as long as there is a city park or sidewalk, there is a toilet.
The tragedy is that the so called “Republican” governor was so bad that he was barely distinguishable from Pritzker on the issues.
8^)
5.56mm
Ah, but Bruce Rauner was a liberal RINO combiner because it made him "the ELECTABLE candidate in November" and "the only kind of Republican who can WIN deep blue Illinois" and.... oh that's right! Backstabber Bruce lost in a LANDSLIDE. Oh well, nevermind! Let's keep running more electable RINOs like Judas Baar Topinka and Bruce RAHMner. Dontsa know that having record low favorable ratings will magically make them electable as long as they enact the Democrats agenda.
What is remarkable is the fact that Pritzker may establish a new course record for a governor getting into deep trouble. He has been in office for little more than one hundred days and he has already shelled out big bucks to defense attorneys.
What crooked, lefty (I repeat myself) is NOT represented by ILLary’s friends at Perkins Coie???
I still appreciate that he vetoed the tax hike and think that was more than reason enough to keep him.
Again his problem isn’t that he was a RINO. Other RINO Governors like Baker and Hogan and that dick in Vermont are very popular are were easily reelected.
His problem was he was a terrible politician and Mike Madigan and co ate his lunch. Mike Madigan and co also desperately wanted him gone, so he must have been doing something right. MA rats gave Baker a free pass. And many MD rat leaders tacitly or even openly backed Hogan against his psychopathic opponent.
As for Jabba, if he goes down (not holding my breath) we win ourselves.........someone who would soon become a national democrat “star” by virtue of being a Black woman. Yay.
Has Illinois ever had a governor who wasn’t a criminal?
I think that Jim Edgar and Jim Thompson weren’t criminals.
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