advertisement

Beavers says he has proof tax charges unfounded

An influential Cook County commissioner facing federal tax charges told reporters Thursday he has proof he paid back money borrowed from his campaign and never sought to evade payments to the IRS.

William Beavers and his attorneys spoke at a Thursday news conference in Chicago, passing out copies of a Park National Bank deposit slip dated May 29, 2009, in the amount of $68,000 — one of the sums federal prosecutors alleged Beavers illegally used from his campaign.

“I’m not a criminal and haven’t stolen a dime,” the Chicago Democrat said.

The 77-year-old is accused of diverting thousands of dollars from campaign accounts and a monthly county commissioner’s stipend for personal use without reporting it as income on tax returns and then covered up his actions.

Defense lawyers claimed they have a paper trail that accounts for all the funds federal prosecutors accused Beavers of misusing, though on Thursday they offered documentation for only $68,000.

“The commissioner paid his taxes ... and paid that money back,” one of his attorneys, Sam Adam Jr., told reporters. Adam described the $68,000 as a loan — not income — from the campaign, and he said Beavers didn’t owe taxes on it because it had been paid back.

The combative, sharp-tongued commissioner on Thursday also repeated claims he was indicted in an act of retribution by federal authorities for refusing to wear a wire against another county commissioner, John Daley, the brother of former Mayor Richard M. Daley.

“I told them to kiss (me) where the sun don’t shine — and they’re mad,” Beavers said at Thursday’s news conference.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago, Randall Samborn, declined to comment Thursday.

Prosecutors claim Beavers diverted more than $226,000 from campaign accounts and used a $1,200 monthly county contingency account for personal use. They also claimed he used more than $68,000 in 2006 to boost his city pension.

Beavers is set to go to trial Dec. 3 on three counts of filing false federal income tax returns and one count of obstructing the Internal Revenue Service. Each count carries a maximum three-year prison term.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.