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

An worker of the Prepare dinner County assessor’s office pleaded not responsible Tuesday to a federal demand alleging he conspired to accept items in exchange for reductions in assessments for industrial properties.

Lavdim Memisovski, 43, was charged in a legal information submitted in U.S. District Courtroom previous 7 days with accepting “home improvement resources, home advancement solutions, jewelry, foods, sporting party tickets” and other items in exchange for the reductions.

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

Defendants billed by way of details, somewhat than by grand jury indictment, normally intend to plead responsible. Memisovski’s lawyer, Chris Gair, declined to remark on the situation.

According to the charge, Memisovski allegedly conspired with two unnamed men and women involving 2016 and July 2018 to settle for the benefits for altering his get the job done.

In a person instance, in accordance to prosecutors, Memisovski had sprinklers set up in his dwelling as portion of the plan. Prosecutors claimed they ended up looking for the forfeiture of at the very 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 Occasion. Berrios misplaced his bid for a 3rd phrase as assessor in the 2018 Democratic major to Fritz Kaegi, who promised to reform the office environment that has extensive been seen as a den of clout and patronage.

After the charges from Memisovski have been introduced past 7 days, a spokesman for Kaegi explained the place of work now has a stringent ethics code for all employees “which forbids the use of the assessor’s business office for individual gain.”

“The leadership of the assessor’s place of work has upheld and continues to uphold the maximum moral criteria for all personnel,” the spokesman said in an emailed statement. “Though this individual remained an personnel of the business, the activities stated in the charging doc transpired for the duration of the prior administration and do not reference any action in the course of this administration. The assessor was not informed these charges had been getting considered.”

Memisovski joined the assessor’s business in 2005 and was earning about $127,000 a 12 months, according to general public records. He is cost-free on a recognizance bond.

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