Another Property Tax Scandal
Nice to see Conehead's staff carrying on the long time traditions of the Chicago Machine:
For the past five years, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget director has illegally gotten property tax breaks on a South Loop condo she owns but hasn’t lived in since 2019.
Annette Guzman got those tax breaks from her former boss, Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi. They’ve saved her $3,434 in taxes on a condo she called an investment property on the required financial disclosure statement she filed with the Cook County clerk a year ago.
Guzman and Kaegi say that, until asked by a Chicago Sun-Times reporter about the tax breaks, they were unaware she was violating state law by collecting the homeowner exemption on her investment property and also her Bronzeville home.
Illinois law allows homeowners one such exemption every year and requires them to live in the home.
Now, Kaegi’s staff has canceled the homeowner exemption on the investment property and ordered Guzman to repay $2,071.89 in tax breaks she got — not what she wrongfully failed to pay for the past five years but just for the past three years. Kaegi also waived any interest payments.
Dozens of politicians have been caught up in the scam of undervaluing properties or residency issues connected to "investment" properties. Seldom have they been held criminally liable and certainly never politically. Luis Gutierrez is the first one that comes to mind. Shortshanks got a sweetheart deal on his condo before it was even built and then sold it for ten or more times what he bought it for within a very short time frame.
Just pay back a portion (never the whole thing) and skip the interest payments that cheated actual taxpayers out of services.
Labels: scandals
posted by SCC at 12:01 AM
46 Comments:
Voters are idiots and don’t hold Democrats accountable. The Democrats control Illinois.
Sorry.
THERE IS NO WAY any county in Illinois will allow you to have home owners exemptions on more than one property - UNLESS the FIX was in.
Someone needs to go to the fuckin' penitentiary.
"Financial Expert Sounds Alarm on the City of Chicago – Facing Budget Gap of More Than a Billion Dollars"
By Mike LaChance Mar. 20, 2026 10:00 pm239 Comments
Gateway Pundit.com
While Conehead's budget director, Annette Guzman, is out scamming illegal property tax breaks for herself' she is unable to solve the City's financial crisis.
This administration has no clue on what to do pretty scary huh.
Chicago's teetering debt is stark warning left-wing mayor is fueling 'pay later' doom cycle: expert Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute says Mayor Brandon Johnson's $830M bond deal, with no principal payments for 20 years, mirrors a notorious parking meter blunder.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/chicagos-teetering-debt-stark-warning-left-wing-mayor-fueling-pay-later-doom-cycle-expert
Chicago 'lost its mind' financially under Mayor Brandon Johnson, Washington Post warns
Washington Post criticizes Chicago's financial 'gimmicks' under Johnson
https://www.foxnews.com/media/chicago-lost-its-mind-financially-under-mayor-brandon-johnson-washington-post-warns
“ Chicago's teetering debt is stark warning left-wing mayor is fueling 'pay later' doom cycle: expert
Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute says Mayor Brandon Johnson's $830M bond deal, with no principal payments for 20 years, mirrors a notorious parking meter blunder.”
By Charles Creitz Fox News.com
Published March 20, 2026 6:00pm EDT
She’s only sorry she got caught
The article left out that her ex-husband was her employee while she worked at COPA
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/chicagos-teetering-debt-stark-warning-left-wing-mayor-fueling-pay-later-doom-cycle-expert
Don’t forget Stacy gates communist teachers union president! Making 400,000+ indiana and here homes playing the cheating games! But at least she’s smart enough to know how bad the garbage disposal of public schools are sending her kids to private schools!
It Chicago what do you expect.
and the liberal media jumps all over Trump when he actually follows the law to get his tax breaks
They can only go back three years unfortunately. She knew what she was doing and should be fired and put on the do not hire list.
I bet if a police officer, not a boss, was caught doing something lake that they would be separated. I can't believe how CPS members break rules. They live outside of the city and sometimes the state. If I miss a water bill or vehicle sticker expiration date I take a day. It's ridiculous.
Attention officers and more so retired officers——she’s on your pension fund board. There is a pension board meeting this Wednesday. It’s 221 N. LaSalle 9:00am. Demand that the fund remove her from the position. She’s in charge of your money and has just been shown to be untrustworthy.
The equation:
If you do not pay us, we fuck you.
If you do pay us, we are fucking you.
The binary of options.
Hmm, I seem to recall a certain President being prosecuted for allegedly inflating the value of a property for a bank loan, in which the bank lost no money.
I worked for a collar county for 35 years and finding these was like shooting fish in a barrel. Easy-peasy, just run a report on homestead exempt property by mailing address, not property address. This way you saw where the tax bills were getting sent and who was paying them.
Here’s what the assessor would reply when these were brought to their attention. If the rental/lease agreement specifies that the monthly rental payment includes the property taxes, the owner can claim the exemption.
There is going to be a lot more of this since Leticia James charges were dropped. Every time someone applies for a new mortgage they are going to think about claiming it as a primary residence. Adam Shifty" Schiff was also caught doing the same thing.
Its an epidemic in the democrat party with property tax evasion, declaring false affidavit scams, and valuation schemes. Remember when governor JB Pritzker (D) financially swindled and victimized the people of Cook County by a cleverly devised tax evasion scheme by removing toilets from his opulent authoritarian styled mansion defrauding the taxpayer of $330,000.00. Inspector General Patrick Blanchard of the Cook County Assessor's office stated "Based on the information obtained during the investigation, our office determined that the [assessor’s office] received sworn affidavits containing false representations and placed significant reliance on the affidavits in deciding to grant a 10% vacancy factor for the property". "Evidence indicates that the use of these affidavits were part of a scheme for obtaining money by means of false representations." Attesting falsely under oath on official government documents is a criminal act of Perjury, a Class 3 Felony punishable from 2-5 years in prison and a $25K fine. A gubernatorial Rule 14 violation. The other day JB Pritzker said no one is above the law and everyone should be held accountable for their actions referring to members of the Trump Administration. Weaponizing law from the mouth of an attorney. Providing false representation and admissions by Gov Pritzker on numerous official legal documented affidavits under oath and affirmation for personal gain is clearly a criminal act by this licensed attorney, an esteemed member of the bar association in a position of executive governmental power. To date Pritzker remains in good standing with the bar which reflects on the character and professional reputation of the slanted law profession. And he remains the governor of the most corrupt state in the union to boot! Yes, he paid back the 330k without penalty or interest after getting caught. What about an Attorney Review and Disciplinary Commission Investigation (A.R.D.C.) investigation into his calculated personal criminal actions including financial swindling. (ARDC is the COPA for lawyers and its investigations and findings are held in the strictest of confidentiality whether exonerated, not sustained or sustained). Tax evasion brought down fellow gangster Alphonse Capone and it should have taken down elected gangster J.B. Pritzker too.
Michael Caputo Outlines Ongoing Targeting from DOJ and FBI with Suggestion to Tear Down the Institutions
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/03/20/michael-caputo-outlines-ongoing-targeting-from-doj-and-fbi-with-suggestion-to-tear-down-the-institutions/
Straight to the Point: FBI's Secret Targeting of Team Trump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im482k_at1g
Annette Guzman's defense could be should is just following similar actions of fellow democrats in positions of the highest authority. Nothing happened to Pritzker when he received property tax relief by removing toilets and submitting false tax documentation, so why would like the City's A.G., the State's A.G., the County's A.G., or the I.R.S. open up an investigation for perjury under oath and affirmation for a fellow democrat public official who has authority with public monies.
Illinois and Cook county property taxes are the highest in the nation, so why would a budget director in charge of public money derived from taxation want to keep some of her "sweat equity" paying a little less than her fair share. I'm sure Guzman has advanced degrees from universities on her resume making her smart and qualified. Guzman like lawyer Pritzker may not have fully understood their under oath complex property tax declarations and possible misrepresentation consequences. After all, Guzman has the affirmative defense as a city budget director confessing she is not good with understanding money and taxation. Pritzker could use the affirmative defense he is an attorney, not specifically a tax attorney, and he was obviously unable to grasp tax law which he is so unfamiliar with. And both cheated the children of the Chicago Public School out of more nutritious meals, more air conditioners in the classroom, smarter computers to play video games not schoolwork at home and generous contributions for the teacher's pension fund. Shame on you Pritzker and Guzman. How dare you keep more of your own money for your very own bottom line personal wealth.
Both should be expelled from the democrat party for non-compliance to progressive government redistribution schemes. Two democrats who obviously gamed the system and will remain in power to subjugate the filthy unwashed tax paying masses in perpetuity. Accountability only after being caught red handed. Tax law is extremely complex even to lawyer governors and to a budget director financier genius both of whom are the best and brightest democrats have to offer.
Ya know what would help this, more migrants with no job skills and no ambition.
Don’t forget Pritzker with his toilet bowl antics. Asshat.
Couldn't agree more.Everyone needs to speak for their 3 minutes at the public comment portion at the beginning of the meeting. Ro Giam, Gene Roy, Beth Svec. Please attend and go nuclear. Show that J Cat only cares about his people getting disability.
Bingo.
ALL Democrats sucks and are thieves!
Shame to anyone who Votes Democrat and they get no respect from me!
Vote all Democrats out now!
And he didn’t inflate it. He had to have an appraisal for the property. He doesn’t handle that. He has lawyers, accountants and alpraisers to decide the value. No owner can give the assessor the value
Also the prosecutors value it at a ridiculously low price
Guzman and Kaegi say that, until asked by a Chicago Sun-Times reporter about the tax breaks, they were unaware she was violating state law by collecting the homeowner exemption on her investment property and also her Bronzeville home. SERIOUSLY? Guzman and Kaegi admitted their stupidity? Morons
So you're saying we're fucked!
If you fail to pay your red light camera citation or pay your I-pass fees on time, aren't you assessed a fine and late fee every month? I guess willful misrepresentations under oath affixing your signature under penalty of perjury is not so serious. When you owe state sanctioned private sector fee collectors such as red light vendors or tollway collection authorities, it is serious enough for monthly fines and interest fees for late payments unlike legally undermining property tax collection as exhibited by the J.B. Pritzker tax evasion case study where when he was caught fraudulently submitting false property tax documentation, he paid only the amount owed with no criminal prosecution nor late penalty or accumulated interest compounded on the amount owed.
If you don't pay the full amount of your total property taxes when due, property owners pay an additional .75% each and every month for late payment by state law?
Yes quite a few articles put the past few days that Chicago is nearing bankruptcy.
Who do you speak of? Oh yea that was another Biden ploy.
Yes, because the media did not like him, the media ran with story.
When it's a democrat......different story.....
For those that say Chicago is years away from any chance of bankruptcy, you need to open your eyes and see that it’s about a year away.
OT. We were told in roll call today to be mindful of how much gas we’re using. It were stopped we should turn the engine off. WTF.
I love this comment. Yes, both persons are slimy fraudsters and represent the Democrat party.
Fritz is a taking care of his people, should be indicted.
as always you can't fix STUPID it's forever
Stay on the job don’t retire. Pension is going broke as it is. We appreciate you contributing helping us out. God bless
Im sure most on this post family's vote dem.
It's only a crime if you do it!
Soo true!! I was once the idiot… 🤦🏾♀️
Hmm!! 🧐🤔 Explains my Financial Retaliation of property tax increase of 210%. Don’t even mention the constant gang stalking…😠🙄
They make the laws they break the laws they need to tell us the rules because it would make it more fun
There’s a whole lot more of stories like this about exemptions for the connected
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